Umm KaeCHAN!
by Simply Kim
Summary: (COMPLETED) A freak accident in the laboratory turned Rukawa into something - or someone unimaginable... HIS EIGHT-YEAR-OLD SELF! (FINALLY UPDATED!!! ^_^)
1. Part 1

Umm. Kae-CHAN?!  
  
Part 1:  
  
The city of Tokyo.  
  
The place where everybody seemed too busy to care.  
  
A world where everyone has a function. (Well, if you don't have a function, hell, then, just get out of there, they don't need you.)  
  
A peaceful *cough* city where everyone coexists um. perfectly.  
  
The city of Tokyo.  
  
A/N: God, I sound like the narrator of The Powerpuff Girls! ^_^;  
  
  
  
"Kisama!"  
  
"Gomen, gomen, gomen!"  
  
"Where is he?"  
  
"What happened? Oh no."  
  
"RUKAWA-KUN!"  
  
"I'm going to call the captain!"  
  
"."  
  
"."  
  
"?"  
  
"Baka, what have you done?!"  
  
"Nyahahahahaha! Revenge at last!"  
  
"Waaaaaaah!"  
  
*Whack! * "This isn't a joke you know!"  
  
"Why did you do such a terrible thing?!"  
  
"It was an accident, I swear!"  
  
Everyone was gathered outside the huge laboratory doors, listening to the shrieks of incredulity and alarm, coupled with anger, and a distinct sound of a child crying its brains out. They exchanged confused and curious looks; each determined to know why such noises existed inside the normally opulent facility.  
  
Inside, a hilarious yet alarming picture was painted as a spiky- haired man dropped on his knees in apology while a young lady with curly hair smacked him repeatedly on the head with a clipboard that was obviously borrowed from a younger boy trying to take it back before it did much damage to the person being hit.  
  
"Nyahahahahaha!" A red-haired guy laughed out loud as he towered over a frail-looking child of about eight years who was crying his lungs out as he was pinched gently by a brown-haired guy that looked like a small boy himself.  
  
"Revenge! At last, justice is applied - ITAI! What was that for?"  
  
"Shut up Sakuragi, you're not helping!" A matured-looking man glared at him, his fist still on top of the loudmouthed fiend.  
  
"Teme old man! I swear you're acting like Gori more and more each day!"  
  
That earned him another punch on the head as the elder man breathed rapidly, trying to control his increasing ill temper. "If you don't shut up this instant, I'll kick you off the team!"  
  
"But I'm not part of the team!"  
  
* WHACK! *  
  
"ITAI!"  
  
"Maa maa." A sweet-looking guy smiled soothingly at the two. "Fighting won't help. we just need to think of a way to solve this problem of ours."  
  
"And how, Min-kun, do we solve our problem?" A tall person sitting on one of the Formica tables retorted wryly as he gestured towards the violent blows that were being administered on the perpetrator.  
  
"Yeah, Megane-kun How - ITAI! STOP HITTING ME ALREADY!" Sakuragi Hanamichi yelped, rubbing the three lumps that were now peeking through the mass of red hair.  
  
"Stop calling him Megane-kun! You have no respect for your elders!"  
  
"Maki-kun, I'm fine with it really." The bespectacled boy smiled as he adjusted his glasses.  
  
"Hn." Maki Siniichi glared at Sakuragi, willing him to shrivel under his gaze - all to no avail. "I still think he deserved that hit."  
  
"Amen to that!" The man who sat on the table laughed, earning a homicidal look from Sakuragi.  
  
"Micchy! After this, remind me to kill you!" Sakuragi seethed as his older friend just grinned slyly back at him, deliberately ignoring his threats.  
  
"Don't worry, I wont!" Mitsui Hisashi said dismissively.  
  
"Stop fighting all of you!" Kogure Kiminobu, the bespectacled student sighed in frustration. "We cannot solve anything in this state. Aya-chan, stop pummeling now and leave the poor guy alone."  
  
"This. * WHACK * is. * WHACK * not. * WHACK * a. *WHACK * poor. *WHACK * guy! *WHACK WHACK WHACK *" Ayako shrieked as she continued pummeling the poor boy who was by now covering his head as he protected himself from the clipboard's trusty blows.  
  
Everyone sweatdropped.  
  
"HOW MANY TIMES DO I TELL YOU THAT I DID NOT DO IT ON PURPOSE!" The man being pounded cried out in his defense. "IT SPILLED, AND HE WAS IN THE WAY!"  
  
"Now it's his fault." A tall man with horn-rimmed glasses smiled mischievously, his eyes glittering merrily as he toyed with the child's fine mane. "I don't think so."  
  
"Hanagata-san! You're also against me?" The one being pummeled went teary-eyed as his professor's lab assistant obviously sided with Ayako.  
  
Hanagata Toru laughed and shook his head in defeat. "I will never take any side. just Kenji-kun's."  
  
Fujima Kenji, the boy who was fussing over the formerly crying child laughed softly, his eyes dancing merrily as he winked at his best friend. "Right!"  
  
"You're all against me!"  
  
"Well, we cant help it, you are at fault, whether accidental or not." A soft-spoken lad standing by the window said matter-of-factly, gesturing at the child who was by then staring wide-eyed at everyone. "And he is enough proof of your carelessness. What would we think?"  
  
"Hai, Jin-sempai is right. It's your fault Sendoh-sempai!" Aida Hikoichi quipped, finally prying Ayako's fingers from his abused clipboard.  
  
Sendoh Akira's shoulders slumped as he turned to look at the little boy playing with Fujima. "Okay, okay, it was my fault." He smiled easily as if nothing serious had happened. "  
  
"Then, just transform him to his usual size." Jin Soichiro smiled trustingly back. A smile that faltered badly as Sendoh's smile turned awry. "Oh no. don't tell me."  
  
Sendoh nodded tearfully.  
  
"BAKAYAROU!"  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
  
  
"Okay this is what we will do." Fujima said as he caressed the sleeping boy's cheek affectionately. "We'll take turns in taking care of him by day, or when Sendoh-kun is busy with his studies, but at night, Akira would take him home.  
  
"Eh? Why me?" Sendoh protested, pointing at himself in disbelief.  
  
"Shh. tone down your voice, you're going to wake the kid up!" Hanagata whispered chidingly, ruffling the raven-colored bangs that covered the kid's forehead.  
  
* WHACK *  
  
"Ite!" He yelped, rubbing his head after another forceful blow on the head.  
  
There was a groan as the child, obviously surprised at the sudden sound, opened his eyes and sat up abruptly, rubbing his eyes of sleep.  
  
Maki glared at him. "You got to take him home because you were the one who is the cause of all these trouble. Now what will I tell our coach?"  
  
"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to." Sendoh's perpetual smile was nowhere in sight as his eyes encountered the figure of the little kid playing with Hanagata's eyeglasses. "Really. the flask just slipped. I didn't mean for it to happen."  
  
Maki's eyes softened. "I know. Now what we ask of you is just simple. take care of the little tyke until Kogure-kun, Mitsui-kun, and Hanagata-kun find a way to revise the effect of the potion that you accidentally drenched on Rukawa-kun."  
  
"Kae-chan!" Fujima laughed as the raven-haired kid grabbed the basketball that Hanagata and Fujima were teasing him with. "You like the ball!"  
  
Maki and Sendoh sweatdropped. Fujima looked like a proud mother. Hanagata looked like the boy's father. They looked like one big happy family.  
  
Maki and Sendoh sweatdropped some more.  
  
Yet, the latter could not help feeling the slightest bit of jealousy over the two former Shoyo players. They shared something special, he was sure of it. and then the way they handle the little kid - Rukawa-kun.  
  
Yes, the little kid is indeed Rukawa Kaede.  
  
It all started that afternoon.  
  
FLASHBACK -  
  
"Akira-san, stop playing around with that beaker or else you're going to tip that over." Hanagata warned the younger boy. "This is a part of the Chem. test that you missed last week, so. do your best. ne?"  
  
"Hai, Hanagata-sempai." Sendoh grinned his usual mischievous smile. "Oops." He muttered as an aromatic liquid dripped on the linoleum floor. "Ah, I'll just wipe it off later." He decided as he moved to the other end of the laboratory table.  
  
"Hey Toru-kun!" Fujima suddenly called out as he entered the laboratory. "Almost time for practice! Is the Chem. absentee doing well?" Mischievous blue eyes turned to the other's concentrating form.  
  
Sendoh stopped pouring and raised a flask of greenish-blue liquid in salute. Fujima grinned, turning back to the bespectacled boy, playfully taking away the horn-rimmed glasses off the bridge of his nose.  
  
"Kenji-kun!" Hanagata protested, trying to claim back his precious eyepiece.  
  
Sendoh continued pouring, and was increasingly becoming alarmed as he saw the other flask turning a dark shade of red. Hmm. according to the book, this should be turning blue, not red. he must have done something wrong.  
  
"Sendoh. my ball. I need. practice." A male voice sounded behind him. Startled, he raised his eyes abruptly, and almost melted at the sight of the younger boy who was standing very close to him.  
  
"Oh, Rukawa-kun. uh. the ball's in my duffel bag right there." He jabbed his thumb in the direction of the package counter where Kogure Kiminobu was sitting in, reading a thick hardbound book.  
  
The younger man nodded and his eyes shifted to Sendoh's experiment, his eyes widening. "Black. Does it have to. make bubbles?"  
  
By then, Sendoh was obviously in cloud nine, Rukawa's question barely registering in his mind. He turned dazedly and his eyes widened in panic as he saw his concoction turn bubbling black. In surprise, he caught hold of it and was about to dump the thing in the sink directly behind him when he slammed into another body, the impact not lost on him as he rebounded, his thighs hitting the edge of the long Formica table, rattling the paraphernalia sitting peacefully on it.  
  
"Kisama!" He heard the younger boy yelp. In horror, Sendoh's eyes bulged. Rukawa's body was drenched with the black liquid, staining the pristine white polo shirt, the liquid dripping on the floor as soon as droplets formed at the edge of the fabric. Sendoh closed his eyes, gripping the now- empty flask he held in his hand, waiting for the blow that he knew the usually collected basketball player would deal him for destroying his favorite shirt.  
  
"Gomen gomen gomen!" He said repeatedly, waiting for the fist to connect with his jaw. There was none. All he heard was a dull poofing sound and then a slight tug on his jeans. He opened one eye.  
  
Rukawa was nowhere in sight.  
  
"Where is he?" Fujima cried out in alarm as he scrambled to where Sendoh was standing helplessly.  
  
"What happened?" Hanagata asked in panic, noting the cloudy smoke that dwelled above them. "Oh no."  
  
The slight tug was there again, and this time Sendoh complied, his eyes straying on the floor.  
  
"RUKAWA-KUN!"  
  
END FLASHBACK -  
  
Sendoh shook his head and sighed dejectedly. If only he wasn't such a klutz around Rukawa, then this wouldn't have happened.  
  
"Kenji-niichan!" Rukawa squealed as he was raised by two frail-looking hands into the air. "Wai!"  
  
Yes, he was jealous. That was confirmed. He felt his blood sizzle as he glared at the hands that encircled the tiny waist of Rukawa's now chibi form. Only he should have the rights to Rukawa's body.  
  
"Ok, that's it, party's over, I have to take the tyke home."  
  
"Hear that Kae-chan?" Hanagata chuckled softly as he took the kid away from Fujima's gentle hands. "Kira-niichan will take you home!"  
  
The child looked at Sendoh, then to the one holding him, then back to Sendoh. He could feel the soft blue eyes straining to see whether it would be okay for him to take him home. and Sendoh was almost sure that Rukawa thought that he cannot be trusted.  
  
Suddenly, when Sendoh was about to give up his hopes in letting the child come with him, Rukawa clapped his hands and grinned, his azure gaze full of trust. something that wouldn't be present in the grown-up version's foxy eyes.  
  
Slowly, he smiled back. and took hold of him.  
  
He closed his eyes as shivers ran down his spine. 'He was touching Rukawa' the main thought that registered in his mind was that.  
  
And he slung his gym bag on one shoulder as the other supported the delicate weight of the child leaning unquestioningly in his arms.  
  
"If you only knew."  
  
* * * 


	2. Part 2

Part 2:  
  
"Ah, home sweet home!"  
  
Sendoh stretched out after setting the now-sleeping Rukawa on his bed. He sighed and sat down, his eyes softening at the sight of the young boy who was clutching the bedspread as he plunged into, hopefully, pleasant dreams.  
  
He really looked cute. so trusting. so happy. heck, his smiles even put Sendoh's omnipresent smiles to shame with all its brightness.  
  
Responding to the instinctive parental tug in his heart, he gently pulled the sneakers that Jin bought that afternoon off the child's feet. Next came the socks that Sakuragi contributed after making a mad dash towards his house near the University. Then, off came the pint-sized baseball cap that Mitsui salvaged from somewhere. All that was left was the rather large shirt that Fujima insisted the child wears, belonging to Hanagata when he was still young. They got it from Hanagata's collection of his memoirs in his condo unit. Then there were the shorts. The pair of shorts that were fitted came from a shop near the university. probably where Jin bought the sneakers. They were cute on Rukawa. pristinely white. so clean. Maki sure is a cleanliness buff; he bought it after all.  
  
He could not believe the amount of support that was given Rukawa by their friends. He expected them to ignore the problem, after all, it is not theirs, and it is his. Yet, this uttermost care and concern. it was unbelievable!  
  
He smiled wryly as he remembered the whole team scurrying after him as he exited the gym. He was so thankful for the opportunity to be alone. but was dragged bodily instead by the brutes to Tokyo's shops in search of something for their little Kae-chan. The results are heartwarming though. Rukawa now has his wardrobe, the chemicals Kogure thought he needed were provided for, and an assortment of children's necessities like shampoo and stuff were bought; all of them achieved their captain's excellent qualifications. Maki sure was picky. he was glad he wasn't Maki's current girlfriend, or else, he'll die of suffocation.  
  
He sighed as he refocused on the sleeping boy.  
  
He wondered about him. if Rukawa became a boy again. then this was his state years before. He was pretty short for someone who would grow so tall at the age of nineteen. He remembered his own mother telling him that he was taller than most boys when he was only eight, and he had heard that too from Sakuragi's mother when the team visited Kanagawa in their summer break before the redhead went to college. It took Maki and Fujima to convince mother and son to attend their university, since Sakuragi Hanamichi cannot play basketball that vigorously as before, and his mother was worrying about his back.  
  
This was new to him. how could he have grown so tall?  
  
Those lashes. they are so black. like the slight spill of ink that sweeps on the pale cheeks. He knew what was behind those long wisps of curving hair. extremely beautiful eyes that gleams bright with blue fire. so enticing. so mysterious. seemingly cold, but filled to the brim with overflowing emotions. emotions that couldn't even be glimpsed from the weirdly vacant facial expressions.  
  
Suddenly, the eyes he had so lavishly worshipped snapped open.  
  
Sendoh sat back in surprise, his eyes wide as he saw the most beautiful smile he had ever seen in his whole life.  
  
"Akira-niichan!" Rukawa squealed as he jumped into Sendoh's arms.  
  
"Kae-chan." Sendoh murmured as he held the child tightly in his arms, burying his face on the messy dark mane. He breathed in the clean smell of the little boy's hair, taking in the whiff of the fresh morning dew that was the scent of Rukawa's shampoo. Closing his eyes, he held him tighter, and the boy, obviously perplexed did nothing but hug him just as tight.  
  
Rukawa did not have the faintest idea what was happening. All he knew was that somehow, he wanted his Akira-niichan's arms around him. It made him feel so. protected. so. loved.  
  
Krrr.  
  
Akira's acute sense of hearing proved present as he heard the slight growl of someone's stomach. He gently pulled back and stared hard at Rukawa, who in turn stared back at him, his cheeks reddening from embarrassment. The face was so openly self-conscious, that he couldn't help the bubble of laughter that invaded his throat.  
  
"You're hungry, ne, Kae-chan."  
  
It was a statement, not a question, and he saw Rukawa's cheeks turn redder than it already was. He smiled at the child fondly. "C'mon, don't be shy, let's go grab something to eat!" He grinned and pulled the young boy into his arms, carrying him, pausing at the front door only to put him down and watch him tie his shoelaces.  
  
Turned out, that little Ru haven't mastered the art of tying shoelaces, and he was obligated to tie it for him, instructing the young boy to look closely and learn.  
  
Soon, they were trekking the main streets of Tokyo, searching for a restaurant that was still open in the middle of the night. Finding only a grocery store that was open twenty-four hours, Sendoh bought some items for him to cook.  
  
"Kae-chan, what do you want to eat?" He turned to the little boy who was holding his hand and looking around him in fascination and indecision.  
  
For little Rukawa, the grocery store was huge! He could not decide which ones to eat. it was so hard to choose! He wanted some of the cup noodles that lined one of the tall shelves (well, for him it was tall ^^), and the huge packs of potato chips that lined the shelf opposite the one carrying the noodles, as well as the packs of sushi that was at the far end of the store. He wanted to cry. He wanted everything, but. he stole a glance at his Akira-niichan an gulped as he looked back at the noodles, then the chips, then the sushi. God, he wanted to cry! The older boy would certainly be mad at him. maybe he should just say that he did not want to eat anymore. but that would anger him further wouldn't it?  
  
Rukawa sighed and pointed at the cup noodles, the least costly of all his choices and looked back up at the elder guy.  
  
Sendoh could see the disappointment, and maybe traces of dread on Rukawa's face. Well, he could understand the kid. he had suffered the same circumstances when he was his age!  
  
"Stay here." He said gently, giving the boy a reassuring smile. Silently, with a wry grin, he picked up two cups of ramen, a couple of bags of potato chips, and walked briskly towards the farthest part of the store for three packs of sushi.  
  
Then, winking at the obviously astounded boy, he dropped them all on the register, and paid for them.  
  
The elderly woman acting as the cashier smiled at Sendoh, then at the surprised face of the little boy standing immobile beside him, eyes glued at the huge shopping bag that was laden with all the goods he wanted to eat.  
  
"Is he your son?" She asked, admiring the looks of both him and the boy. "He reminds me of the young man who almost always come here this time of the night."  
  
Sendoh wanted to laugh. If only she knew.  
  
He shook his head, trying to think of a way to explain Rukawa's presence. However, before he could utter one word, Rukawa beat him to it.  
  
"Akira-niichan?"  
  
"Oh, he's your brother!" The elder woman laughed, smiling at the little boy, who had managed to hide behind Sendoh's powerful jean-clad legs.  
  
"Ah, hai, he is my brother. just visiting for a couple of weeks." Sendoh smiled easily at the elder woman and picked up the grocery bag with one hand and securing Rukawa in the other. "I guess we'll be going then."  
  
The elder woman tucked stray gray hairs behind her ear and gave both boys her most friendly smile. "Remember to always be good boys ne?" She winked her face so open and warm, that Sendoh couldn't resist winking back.  
  
Soon, both boys were on the road home, little Rukawa's stomach giving a mad grumble, as they were a few feet away from the font door. Sendoh smiled wryly. Kids are hungrier these days. I wonder how it is with the grown up version of this boy... would he have a humongous appetite too?/  
  
And suddenly, Sendoh wanted to know.  
  
* * *  
  
"Okay, so the agreement is on right?"  
  
Maki stared hard at each of the members of the basketball team that formed a huddle in the center of the gym.  
  
Everyone nodded.  
  
Silence.  
  
Suddenly.  
  
"Yosh! Toru-kun and I get to take Kae-chan home first!"  
  
Everyone sweatdropped as they stared dumbfounded at Fujima who started dancing around the gym as he picked up the little boy playing with the orange ball near one of the goals. "C'mon Kae-chan! All three of us are gonna have fun tonight!"  
  
"Uh. Hanagata-sempai. are you sure he's stable?" Hikoichi whispered to the much taller boy gazing affectionately at Fujima's excited for that was dancing the boogie with little Rukawa.  
  
"Aa." Hanagata smiled softly, his eyes still trained at the hilarious scene playing before him. Then he turned towards the others and grinned slyly.  
  
"If he doesn't act like that once in every godforsaken day. that's when you worry about him being unstable."  
  
Everyone was reduced to twitching lumps on the gymnasium floor. 


	3. Part 3

Part 3:  
  
"Kae-chan! You like that ball, don't you?" Fujima grinned as he fondly looked at the young boy wrestling with the huge (for him it is.) basketball.  
  
The boy looked up at him with glistening eyes as he tried playing around with it like what his 'elder brothers' did during a basketball game. Try as he might, he couldn't even do the simple task of dribbling the ball. It was simply too huge for him to manage on his own.  
  
Fujima reached for him and held him close.  
  
"Don't worry, Kae-chan, you'll have your chance when you get older. I promise. I'll teach you how to." He murmured softly, ruffling the boy's raven hair.  
  
However, Rukawa was inconsolable.  
  
Cerulean eyes marred with watery traces of a beginning dejection gazed back at him, too beautiful in their larger, yet still a bit. just a bit. fox-like, form. They were filled with determination and woe at the same time that proved to be the weakness of the brown-haired boy. "Onegai, Kenji-niichan? Can we do it right now?" Fujima gazed dubiously at him. Finally, he sighed.  
  
"Alright, we'll do it. Let's go to that neglected area right there." He pointed to one of the six basketball goals in the gym.  
  
"Yay!" The little boy cried out, disrupting the practice of the other players with his energetically loud voice. "We're gonna play!"  
  
Fujima shook his head and grinned. /That boy sure is the opposite of his real elder self/ He thought in amazement. /I never knew he's like that when he's still young./ He ran and joined him at the far corner of gymnasium.  
  
Maki smiled as he saw Rukawa toting the ball in his chubby little hands. /He's too small. I wonder. if that's how he looked like when he was eight, what he did he do to make himself grow taller. / He shook his head and his eyes gleamed in amusement as Rukawa tripped over his shoelaces, earning a shout of alarm from Fujima, and a gasp of worry from Hanagata who was staring at the pair far across their playing court. /No. a little scratch won't harm him. but maybe, it's high time he needs someone to look after him. he's been living alone for quite some time now. Hn. he probably won't even remember this when he gets back to his original size./  
  
Sakuragi tried to stifle his laugh, but he couldn't. Soon, he was laughing his guts out as he pointed at the fallen boy who was trying hard not to cry. He couldn't believe it. For the first time, he wasn't the one injured. it was his foxy-faced rival! However, he felt a hard whack on his head, and it felt a lot like.  
  
"Itai! Ayako-san! What was that for?" He yelped as he dodged another blow.  
  
Ayako was twitching with annoyance. "Sakuragi-kun. don't laugh at him like that."  
  
"Eh? Why not? It's my amusement that we're talking about here, not anyone else's. Besides, he isn't hurt that much, isn't he?" Sakuragi grinned.  
  
"Hanamichi-kun, he's just a child! Look at him! Isn't he so adorable? It's not like he's pulling his one-liners on you, you know."  
  
Sakuragi's malicious grin faded as he turned back on the boy. Rukawa IS just a child this time, he hasn't done anything wrong, and he IS quite adorable with his big emotional blue eyes. Without thinking, he sauntered over to where the boy was sitting on the hard wooden floors, his lips bleeding a bit from biting it hard to keep himself from crying aloud.  
  
/Hn. Rukawa is still Rukawa. full of that manly pride. /  
  
At the huge shadow he cast upon him, Rukawa looked up, his eyes obviously welling up with his unshed tears. A huge bruise and a gash were on one of his pale knees. He was bleeding.  
  
Fujima looked up, a white handkerchief in hand. The pale piece of cloth was dotted liberally with blood, as he had pressed it onto the wound repeatedly. Still, the bleeding hadn't stopped.  
  
"Oi, Kae-chan." Sakuragi said gruffly, his face curiously blank. Fujima's eyes widened, so did his teammates', half-expecting him to kick the poor boy away and laugh onto his face.  
  
He did the most wondrous thing though.  
  
He smiled.  
  
Sakuragi smiled at the young boy, as he knelt down and took the handkerchief from Fujima's numb hands. "Did it hurt?" He pressed the cloth on the injured knee gently.  
  
Rukawa nodded, a single tear falling from his vigorous motion.  
  
"Don't worry, it'll heal soon, ne?" Sakuragi's eyes softened as he gazed at him reassuringly. "You'll be fine. we're here for you, alright?"  
  
Suddenly, the boy launched himself onto him, his face now wet with tears.  
  
"Hana-niichan." He sobbed. "Arigatou."  
  
Sakuragi just closed his eyes and smiled, burying his lips on the child's unkempt hair.  
  
Jin grinned as he exchanged amused glances with Koshino who had just arrived from the hospital last night due to his injured ankle.  
  
"This is the first time that I saw those two that way." Jin said thoughtfully, his eyes dancing with glee. "It's good. I think."  
  
"Amen to that." Koshino smiled wryly, looking at Sendoh who had now grown quiet, trying hard to restrain himself to bound over to the two and snatch the boy away from the redhead's arms. Koshino knew about Sendoh's liking to Rukawa. and since the boy IS STILL Rukawa. he knew Sendoh would have this tendency to be protective of him. /Sort of like putting a barrier around his territory/, He shook his head with a small smile. /Baka Porcupine./  
  
* * *  
  
Sendoh wanted to kill Sakuragi.  
  
Sendoh wanted to kill Hanagata.  
  
Sendoh wanted to kill Fujima.  
  
Hate. Hate. Hate.  
  
Baka. Baka. Baka.  
  
He tried to calm down as he watched with slitted eyes while Sakuragi pressed an already bloody handkerchief onto Rukawa's wound. Hell, he even wanted to strangle him when Rukawa threw himself onto him with grateful tears in his eyes.  
  
He knew he shouldn't be thinking such vicious things, but he couldn't help it.  
  
/Damn this jealousy! /  
  
Letting out a huge sigh, he bounded over to the duo fussing over Rukawa and squatted between them to gain access to the little boy. Hanagata had followed Sakuragi a while ago carrying the first aid kit, and Fujima was already taking off the cap of one of the transparent containers in the metal box.  
  
He tweaked the crying boy's nose as Fujima directly POURED alcohol, which was what the container held, over the gaping wound, intending to make the boy forget the pain he was feeling.  
  
He was gratified however, as Rukawa started to smile through the thick film of his tears. Soon, his little hands wrapped around his, trying to stop him from tweaking his nose, the pain all but forgotten as he focused on Sendoh's fingers.  
  
"S-stop. A-Akira ni-I-chan!" He panted, his eyes showing just a hint of pain as Fujima dabbed tissues to dry the area surrounding the still- slightly-bleeding wound.  
  
"Give him to me, I'll take care of him for a while before we end practice." Sendoh smiled his usual carefree smile that effectively hid his slight emotional breakdown at the feeling of pleasure when he had made Rukawa smile at him even through the boy's painful ordeal.  
  
"No. the Tensai must take care of him!" Sakuragi glared at him, his chocolate eyes flashing suspiciously. "Hentai Smiley!"  
  
A vein popped on Sendoh's forehead. He knew that it was a joke between him and redhead, but he was not in the mood for Sakuragi's famous "Tensai" liners that aggravate everyone they were aimed at. He wanted to strangle him, but decided against it, smiling quite placidly instead as a familiar word escaped his stretched lips.  
  
"Do'ahou."  
  
The gym went dead silent - that is, until.  
  
"Bwahahahaha!" Mitsui guffawed as he pointed at the two who stood, looking strangely at each other. "That. t-that was p-priceless! Se-Sendoh. c-call-ing. S-Sakuragi a-a. Bwahahahaha!"  
  
Koshino couldn't stop his laughter. "A-Akira. that was. p-pure genius!"  
  
Ayako was holding her stomach, trying to stop her flow of laughter. Her paper fan forgotten as it flopped limply on the ground. "That was -"  
  
Soon, the gym was filled with maniacal laughter resonating from the people inside. All faces were contorted extensively, except for the two who stood facing each other like boxers on the ring. Sendoh still wearing his perpetual smile, and Sakuragi turning as red as his hair while struggling to contain himself from hitting the porcupine on the head.  
  
Unfortunately, willpower lost and the redhead found himself launching towards the spiky-haired boy.  
  
"Teme." He growled angrily, his fist clenched so hard that the knuckles turned white. "What did you say, Baka Smiley?" He would have punched Sendoh on the nose if he hadn't heard the little boy the latter was holding cry out gleefully.  
  
"Do'ahou-niichan!" He grinned, pointing at Sakuragi.  
  
The laughter and the recent gasps of surprise faded.  
  
Silence.  
  
A vein popped on Sakuragi's forehead.  
  
"What did he say?" Jin asked, dumbfounded.  
  
"Do." Maki whispered in disbelief.  
  
".Ahou." Kogure mumbled, his eyes widening in surprise.  
  
"Ni." Hanagata's eyeglasses slipped down his nose.  
  
".I." Hikoichi dropped his pen.  
  
". chan.?" Fujima sweatdropped.  
  
Silence.  
  
Then.  
  
"Bwahahahaha!" Mitsui started laughing again, pointing to the murderous form of Sakuragi.  
  
Soon enough, boisterous laughter that equaled the one that they had let out earlier resonated throughout the entire area. The students passing the huge gymnasium peeked as to what was happening, only to find themselves facing the barred doors.  
  
"I'm gonna kill you. KITSUNE!"  
  
* * *  
  
"Take care of him for me Fujima-kun."  
  
Fujima turned to the taller boy standing by his doorway.  
  
He smiled knowingly as a flash of something almost unidentifiable intruded the other's usually clear eyes. Almost unidentifiable. until the smaller boy remembered someone else's look that was the same as the one he had seen in Sendoh's eyes. /He likes him. I knew it./  
  
"Hai, Sendoh." He grinned, shifting his hold on Rukawa's sleeping form on his other arm. "I know you want to keep him in tonight."  
  
"Yeah." Sendoh gave him a defeated smile. "The whacked Chem. Professor gave me extra work to compensate for the failed experiment. it would take me more or less three nights to finish that one." He sighed dejectedly, giving the sleeping boy an affectionate glance.  
  
"That sucks." Fujima nodded sympathetically. "Well, I should be going. I still have to cook, you know."  
  
"Uh, yeah. happy anniversary to both of you." Sendoh grinned. "I'm sorry for the kid's presence though. if only I hadn't goofed up."  
  
"Nah." Fujima waved the apology away. "It'll be much fun!" He winked. "Anyway, thanks for giving me some of his stuff. You'll see Kae-chan in the University tomorrow at approximately lunchtime. Ja!"  
  
With a last excited wave, Fujima went off, leaving Sendoh staring at the little boy with acute longing in his eyes.  
  
* * *  
  
"Have you sorted them out yet, Kae-chan?"  
  
Fujima called out from the kitchen.  
  
"Hai, Kenji-niichan!" Rukawa called out as he hopped down the dining table carrying a bowl of assorted bite-sized sandwiches.  
  
"You did great Kae-chan!" Fujima gave him a sincere hundred-megawatt grin and ruffled his raven locks. "I'm so proud of you!"  
  
Rukawa's grin turned up another notch as he raised the bowl up in the air for Fujima to take, which he did before turning back to whatever he was mixing up on the kitchen counter.  
  
"I'm here!" A deep voice cried out from the living room.  
  
Rukawa hopped up and down. "He's here! Toru-niichan is here!" He screamed joyfully, looking as if he had just been given a ticket to Disneyland, that Fujima smiled affectionately at him before turning towards the huge doorway with a kitchen towel in hand. He was about to push the door that separated the living room from the dining area when it suddenly swung open, making him step back in alarm. He closed his eyes, expecting someone to bump him and tackle him down the cold marble floors, however, instead of a pushing sensation, he felt someone PULLING him.  
  
A pair of strong arms wrapped around him, enclosing him in a tidal wave of emotional warmth. His body was trapped into another's, warming him and at the same time tenderly making him feel his worth.  
  
Fujima opened his blue eyes, and rubbed his cheek on the soft fabric of Hanagata's sweater, his hands wrapping around the much taller man's waist. He felt safe in those arms. so loved.  
  
"Okaeri." He whispered as both of them stepped back from their embrace. "You're here."  
  
"Of course I am!" Hanagata smiled softly, his eyes boring deeply into Fujima's watery blue orbs. "You think I would forget."  
  
The smaller boy's eyes filled with tears. He shook his head. "Iie. I'm just happy that you're here. I cant believe we survived everything. and stayed. together. this long." He whispered as the tears finally trickled down his cheeks.  
  
Hanagata laughed softly and wiped the tears with his strong fingers. "You don't have to cry, you know." He pulled Fujima closer and tilted his chin. "I'll always be here. that's my promise. forever and ever."  
  
"Happy anniversary, Toru-chan." Fujima laughed, snaking his arms around the other's neck. "Our third year together. I hope this would be forever. I love you."  
  
"And I love you." Hanagata smiled softly before his mouth came crashing passionately down on his lover's soft and pliant lips.  
  
* * *  
  
Rukawa watched them kiss.  
  
He wondered at both of them. He had heard Kenji-niichan saying that they had been together for three years. How long was that? He couldn't even remember what had happened to him three years before. and yet they do know what had happened to them three years ago?  
  
Hn. He couldn't understand them. probably something about the adult world he had heard so much about ever since he had learned how to understand simple worlds. How he wished to be a grown up soon!  
  
He felt something in them. was it what they had called "LOVE"?  
  
He felt as if he was warm inside just by looking at them. Somehow, he felt that what they had is wrong. well, he had never seen two men kiss each other before. all he had seen were men and /women/ doing what they're doing right now. Does that make everything wrong?  
  
Yet, somehow, he sensed it right. after all. it seems as if LOVE. whatever it is. is VERY POWERFUL. so. they're just expressing it. right?  
  
Just then, the face of his Akira-niichan flashed through his mind. He missed him. He had been so nice to him last night.  
  
/I wonder what he's doing right now./  
  
He sighed.  
  
Krrr.  
  
Rukawa's eyes drooped as he first felt, rather than heard, his stomach growling again. He suddenly had the urge to cry as his mind was suddenly filled with the mini-sandwiches he had sorted out earlier, replacing the vision of Sendoh's smiling face. his mouth was by then watering as the insistent growling of his stomach went louder.  
  
KRRR.  
  
* * *  
  
"What was that?"  
  
Hanagata and Fujima parted as they had heard the unusual sound. They looked at each other in surprise.  
  
KRRR.  
  
The sound was definitely louder. and it came from.  
  
Both looked down. and they instantly reddened.  
  
Rukawa was looking pitifully up at them, his hand rubbing against his stomach.  
  
"Ne. Kenji-niichan. Toru-niichan. I'm hungry."  
  
*Sweatdrop*  
  
* * *  
  
"Have you had a nice time, Kae-chan?"  
  
"Hai, Toru-niichan!" Rukawa nodded vigorously. "I've fixed the sandwiches good. ne, Toru-niichan?"  
  
"Hai. and it tasted great too!" Hanagata grinned at the young boy sitting beside him on the couch.  
  
"That's because Kenji-niichan told me how to make them! He's the best!"  
  
Hanagata glanced over at Fujima who blushed as he heard the praise Rukawa dealt him. "Iie, Kae-chan, you're the one who's the best. you were the one who made them, right?"  
  
The boy shook his head and grinned back. "You are the best!" He said in a matter-of-fact tone.  
  
Hanagata laughed softly, making both boys turn to him, watching him with weird expressions on their faces.  
  
"Why are you laughing, Toru-kun?" Fujima asked, confused.  
  
"Toru-niichan?" Rukawa asked, his big blue eyes widening even more.  
  
"Nothing." Hanagata said as his laughter subsided. "You just sounded like mother and son."  
  
Fujima reddened as Rukawa grinned.  
  
"We do?"  
  
"Yatta!"  
  
Fujima seemed thoughtful as he turned his gaze on the little boy who was playing with Hanagata's glasses for the umpteenth time.  
  
/Mother and son. but that can't be. Kae-chan would soon be Rukawa Kaede when Kogure, Mitsui and Toru-kun finds the key to reverting everything that happened to Rukawa back. then I'll miss him so much./  
  
Hanagata, without his glasses, glanced at Fujima's thoughtful features. He knew exactly what he was thinking - and feeling. Both of them had done the unforgivable. They had become too attached to Rukawa Kaede who was now known as Kae-chan. As much as he hated to do it, there would be a time that the boy would turn back to the monosyllabic speaker. that was his usual self.  
  
Fujima would surely be crushed. and as much as he hated to admit it.  
  
So would he.  
  
* * *  
  
Sendoh couldn't concentrate.  
  
He had been staring at his Chemistry books for so long that he almost had a hernia from staying in the same position for almost half an hour, and still, nothing entered his malfunctioning mind.  
  
He sighed.  
  
/I wonder if Kae-chan's doing fine. /  
  
* * * 


	4. Part 4

Umm. Kae-CHAN?! Part 4  
  
It was snowing.  
  
Everyone was inside a huge apartment standing a few blocks from the university's back gates. There was much noise as the household bustled, running to and fro like headless chickens, 'contemplating' on what to do for an upcoming festivity. From afar, the apartment seemed a joyous place. that is, if one overlooks a single glaring fact.  
  
Amidst the friendly, albeit disastrous chaos, a small face peeped from the second floor window, his cheeks pressed on the cloudy glass panes, his eyes staring wistfully at the steady flow of snow that buried the driveway waist-deep in white fuzz. Almost all who were passing by did not see the young boy - well, all except for one.  
  
Sendoh was on his way to Fujima and Hanagata's cozy hideout for an impromptu dinner, and he had just shopped, looking for something delicious to share with his friends. He had finally settled on an unsuspecting blueberry cheesecake and was parking near the driveway when an inner voice compelled him to look up.  
  
And there he was.  
  
Even if he's lonely, Rukawa managed to entertain himself by staring wide-eyed at the majestic fall of the early snow.  
  
Sendoh could not help but smile as he bounded towards the front door. He rang the bell a couple of times before a harassed-looking Fujima opened the door and, thinking he was a salesman, screamed at him to beat it and go find someone else to bother, thus, shutting the door, narrowly missing the tip of his nose.  
  
He sweatdropped.  
  
"What the hell was that about?" He muttered as he rang the bell a second time.  
  
He took a hasty step back as he heard a tortured scream of annoyance echoing clearly inside the house. He winced, his eyes straying warily for the moment Fujima opens the door and hacks his head off. Soon enough, the door banged open, and much to Sendoh's horror, a pair of killer, yet unfocused eyes glared menacingly at him, as the owner brandished a butcher knife in the air threateningly.  
  
"I said beat it! I don't want any -"  
  
Suddenly, he stopped, peering closely at Sendoh's terror-stricken face. His cheeks instantly reddened in embarrassment as he slowly lowered the gleaming knife.  
  
"Eh. Akira-kun. is that you?"  
  
Sendoh inaudibly gulped, trying to well down his recent fear, managing a shaky yet wry, smile.  
  
"Yes, Kenji-san. what are you doing, avoiding salesmen? I thought that was Hanagata-san's department."  
  
Fujima grinned sheepishly, rubbing his nape apologetically. "Oh, yeah. well, I'm substituting for him. he's studying somewhere in this freaky place. and umm. I'm really sorry about the knife. It was the first thing I got a hold of so."  
  
"And what would you have chosen if not for the knife?"  
  
"Toru-kun's baseball bat." Fujima said a-matter-of-factly.  
  
The taller boy nodded, returning to his normal color, and stepped cautiously inside just as a piercing cry of rage issued somewhere in the vast expanse of the kitchen.  
  
WHACK!  
  
Sendoh whistled to himself as his eyes met Fujima's. Both of them shook their heads in amazement.  
  
"Stop eating those fritters!"  
  
That girl sure is tough! He thought, a wry smile gracing his features. Soundlessly, he started towards the direction of the noise, eager to know what was happening.  
  
"Aya-chan. don't you love me anymore?"  
  
WHACK!  
  
"Ow, Aya-chan."  
  
"Don't 'Aya-chan' me buster! Now, quit stealing from that bowl!"  
  
Sendoh peeked through the kitchen doorway and almost laughed as the sorry figure of Miyagi Ryota, who was currently on winter break from Kanagawa's Kainandai University, sat clutching his aching head as Ayako, wielding not a paper fan this time, but a spatula, towered threateningly over him.  
  
His eyes strayed over to the young man glaring at the two, arms crossed on his chest in annoyance. Sendoh grinned. One wrong move and Miyagi would surely be toast!  
  
Koshino Hiroaki, the former point guard of his old senior high school, was officially Ayako's boyfriend. They had been going steady for one and a half years now. and definitely going strong.  
  
"Good for you. you're doing nothing but hog all the goodies ever since you came here! I knew it was a bad idea on Maki-san's part to let you in even if you're his cousin!"  
  
Sendoh winced as he heard the jealous edge in his best friend's voice.  
  
"Stay out of -"  
  
WHACK!  
  
"ITAI! Stop hitting me already!" Miyagi shifted his glare from Koshino towards his girlfriend. "I hate it when I get lumps like these." He pointed towards the three steaming lumps smack on the center of his head. "Tomoe- chan fusses over me!"  
  
Koshino rolled his eyes. "Admit it Miyagi, you love your girlfriend so much!"  
  
Miyagi glared at him, his cheeks visibly reddening.  
  
Sendoh shook his head, and started towards the living room.  
  
"Oi, Sendoh!" Hanagata raised a hand, beckoning him.  
  
Sitting on one of the plush chairs, he turned his attention completely to the other guy wearing a cool pair of eyeglasses.  
  
"Hanagata-san. your glasses!" Sendoh stared in absolute shock, a teasing grin beginning to shape up on his lips.  
  
"I know, I know, I look weird." Hanagata grinned slyly. "Kenji and Kae-chan pestered me to buy it. Heh, they teamed up and threatened to lock me out of the house if I don't agree!"  
  
At the mention of Rukawa's name, Sendoh sobered. "Kae-chan. he's upstairs?"  
  
Hanagata smiled at him and nodded. "He seemed sad these past few days. He never got to see you much - only during basketball practice, which you keep on taking too seriously. probably why he's so sullen most of the time."  
  
Suddenly, Sendoh was much too fascinated by the curves of his slippers. "I have been neglecting him, haven't I?"  
  
"Yeah, you have." The elder boy gave him another sad smile. "He has been asking about you for a few days now. he's wondering why you don't talk to him anymore."  
  
Sendoh continued studying his slippers. "Oh." That was all he could say. Uncomfortable silence stretched out between them.  
  
"You like him, don't you?" Hanagata suddenly asked, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.  
  
Sendoh's head suddenly shot up at the unexpected question. "Of course I do. Who doesn't?"  
  
"No, wait, let me rephrase that." Brown eyes smiled with the red lips as Hanagata scrutinized the younger boy. "You LOVE Rukawa, don't you?"  
  
"What do you want to imp -"  
  
"Kae-chan got sick because he tried to look for you the other night. He slipped through Koshino's window, and your best friend panicked, saying that he never thought the kid would try to get away from his and Jin's shared apartment. We found him shivering, blanketed by the early fall of snow, sleeping beside your house marker. Hanagata focused at the scenery outside the window. "If you do love him, I think it would be best for you to check on him right now, he's still running a flu."  
  
And within seconds, Sendoh was clambering up the stairs.  
  
Hanagata smiled as his eyes followed the other's hurrying form before letting out a sigh and turning back to his Calculus problems.  
  
* * *  
  
"Hisashi-kun."  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
Pale fingers trembled, as a much darker hand roamed on the expanse of hidden pectorals, their proximity close enough to draw moans of wanton passion from a pliant mouth.  
  
"T-This isn't a good idea."  
  
Mitsui Hisashi did not stop, instead, the hands that ventured under Kogure's shirt became even more daring, slipping under the garter of the silken pajama bottoms as well as the cotton briefs, cupping the smooth skin of an athletic rear.  
  
Kogure shivered, his hands straying from the Formica table in Hanagata's mini laboratory in the basement, to the equally smooth skin of his lover's bare back, feeling slightly calloused hands massaging his rump sensuously. His body arched, reveling in the sensations coursing through his nerve endings, his member turning hard in the process. His mind was screaming for him to break away, since he had many things to do, however, his body was not budging. It remained in the mercy of Mitsui's sensual - and sexual ministrations.  
  
"Hisashi. please. if I don't do this now, Rukawa-kun would be Kae-chan all his life!"  
  
Mitsui let out a low growl as he nibbled on Kogure's earlobe. "I'd be damned if I stop now. I want you so much Min-kun." As if to prove his point, he rubbed his arousal against his lover's, making the latter groan in pleasured denial.  
  
However, Kogure's conscience kicked off. Sendoh-kun would really be devastated if Kae-chan wouldn't transform back to his original size. He doesn't deserve losing his happiness. even if he's the source of all their problems.  
  
Then, an idea came to him.  
  
"Hisashi. I-If you stop, I will be your slave for twenty-four hours after Rukawa-kun turns back to normal."  
  
Mitsui stopped, his mind registering the plea in Kogure's voice - that first, and then the word "slave for twenty-four hours". His slave? Hmm. He backed off a little.  
  
"Thank you, Hisashi-kun." Kogure smiled fondly at him, shivering a little after the loss of warmth, turning back to the assortment of chemicals that he and Hanagata bought the other day. "I just hope our theory is true."  
  
Suddenly, he felt Mitsui's body mold onto his backside. Surprised, he whirled around and reddened as he saw the naked form before him.  
  
Hands reached out and -  
  
"IYA!"  
  
And muffled groaned filled the whole room.  
  
* * *  
  
"Those hentai freaks." Fujima groaned as he heard a particularly loud cry of ecstasy ripple from the next room. "Drat the thin walls!" He complained as he worked on his semi-conductor project.  
  
The only thing that separated him from Hanagata's lab was a thin sheet of plywood whose edges were hammered angularly onto the walls, and he could distinctly hear everything that was going on in his small basement workshop. Fujima sighed. He hated it when some other people were enjoying anything more that he is enjoying what he is doing. Where was Hanagata anyway? Probably still talking to Akira. He shook his head as the picture of the two boys popped into his mind, jangling the insecure bone in his body that rarely made an appearance for the past five years.  
  
TAP. TAP. TAP  
  
He gave another defeated sigh; throwing the wooden blocks he was trying to piece together on the dilapidated but comfortable couch across his seat and answered the door.  
  
"Ohayo." Came the tender voice.  
  
Fujima stepped back in surprise. Just the person he was thinking of!  
  
"Toru-kun. erm." He stammered, his cheeks turning into a bright shade of crimson.  
  
Hanagata removed his glasses and grinned. "Won't you let me in?"  
  
"Oh, well. Ehehe. erm. come in." Although the invitation stood, Fujima still had not moved and kept on staring at his boyfriend.  
  
" Uh. Ken-chan. could you just. move a little? I can't pass through you, you know." Hanagata smiled softly, marveling at the difference in Fujima's behavior in and out of the famed basketball court. During a game, he seemed so untouchable. but outside. he's so shy, unsure of himself. a genuine softie at heart. and that softness had bloomed to its full beauty when Kae- chan came into his life - their lives.  
  
Rukawa Kaede made them stronger, with the constant attention that he demanded most of the time. He had made Fujima enjoy his life to the fullest, as he constantly pulled his surrogate "brother" to places he would never dare venture at his age, like the fair in one of Tokyo's main carnivals and the largest Zoo that could be found within the city. He had never seen Fujima so devoid of his inhibitions. and of course, he came with them, and his life too had changed.  
  
As for his personal tutor, the eight-year-old boy had taught him something important that he would never ever forget.  
  
He taught him what love was.  
  
He did not say the words directly. but he showed it when he himself had seen the young boy asleep and shivering, sitting beside the marker of Sendoh's house without so much as a sweater to keep him warm.  
  
A love that is unconditional.  
  
A love that would wait until the one that conquered your heart comes to you willingly. unconditional, bordering almost on altruistic.  
  
A lesson that somehow made him more appreciative of Fujima's presence in his life.  
  
His smile widened, as his love blushed more if possible. and stood aside, letting him in.  
  
"Uh, what brought you here?"  
  
Hanagata's eyebrow took on a surprised arch. "Do I need a good reason to see you?" He reached out and pulled the smaller boy in his warm embrace.  
  
As expected, his lover thawed out, finally circling familiar arms around his waist. He smiled inwardly. It felt so peaceful.  
  
"I saw you talking to Akira-kun." Fujima whispered, almost inaudible. "What was it about?"  
  
"Don't tell me you're jealous." Hanagata started, fully expecting a screech along the lines of 'I DO NOT!'. Instead, he was greeted by the most insecure answer he had ever heard coming out of Fujima's beautiful mouth.  
  
"Maybe I am." It came out muffled as he burrowed deeper in Hanagata's embrace.  
  
"Then don't be." The taller boy said simply. "I don't like him THAT way."  
  
"But Akira. he's better than I am. he's tall."  
  
"I have an unchangeable fetish for people a lot smaller than I am."  
  
"He looks sexier than me."  
  
"That's pushing it."  
  
"And he's a better player than I am."  
  
"Wherever did you get that?"  
  
"He's also more amusing that I could ever be."  
  
"And you aren't?" Hanagata pulled back and stared deeply into Fujima's confused blue eyes. "You're everything he is - and much more. well, maybe except the 'tall' part, but still. for me, you're much better. No - YOU are the BEST. and I love YOU." He touched his cheek and gave him a special reassuring smile.  
  
Fujima looked as if he was about to cry as his eyes met the dark brown ones gazing at him with much love and affection. Without warning, Hanagata slowly lowered his lips and caught his in a slow and gentle kiss.  
  
Suddenly, Fujima was not feeling vexed anymore.  
  
* * *  
  
Rukawa was having a hard time moving. His whole body felt hot, and his joints ached like someone had pounded on them with a humongous sledgehammer.  
  
Moreover, he was missing someone - terribly.  
  
/Akira-niichan./  
  
He wanted to see the only one who made him feel complete. Since the night when he was given to Kenji-niichan and Toru-niichan, he had never fully enjoyed quality time with the elder guy. The meetings were so scarce that he often found himself thinking whether he did something that displeased his Akira-niichan. Maybe he was mad at him. But. Why? He did not understand. he could not understand.  
  
/What did I do wrong? /  
  
He couldn't help feeling as if he had done something unforgivable.  
  
Did his Akira-niichan hate him?  
  
He sighed, disentangling himself from the thick blankets that wrapped snugly around him. He slowly moved towards the huge door. Tiptoeing, he grasped the doorknob as hard as he could and twisted it all the way, smiling slightly as he heard the lock open with a satisfying click. With the slight strength that he had, he pulled the wooden barrier and stopped.  
  
He stared in surprise, his eyes widening to the point of bursting. He couldn't believe it.  
  
"Akira-niichan." He whispered, his eyes swimming dangerously in joyful tears as he tilted his head farther to accommodate the sight of the tall person better.  
  
"Kae-chan."  
  
It took only the mention of his name from the usually smiling lips to make him crumble. With a heartfelt cry, he jumped into the outstretched arms, forgetting that he had caught the flu, forgetting that he was just clad in thin pajamas for protection against the extreme winter cold, forgetting everything. feeling only the warmth in the comforting arms of Sendoh Akira.  
  
"I missed you, Akira-niichan." He cried out, tears falling steadily from huge blue eyes as he burrowed deeper into the needful embrace. "I thought." He couldn't continue. Instead, he just cried in the gentle arms until the flow of tears stopped, leaving him with the strong urge to close his eyes and sleep.  
  
"I missed you too." Sendoh closed his eyes, his once-empty arms relishing the feel of the young boy's childish softness. "Shh. I'm sorry for neglecting you. I was just."  
  
However, Rukawa wasn't listening. He rubbed his cheeks on the soft sweater Sendoh was wearing, and whispered, letting sleep due to exertion engulf him.  
  
"I love you."  
  
Sendoh stiffened, unsure whether he heard the words right. His heart pumped faster and he felt almost lightheaded. Slowly, he carried the young boy and carefully placed him on the bed, covering him with a couple of blankets, placing a whisper of a kiss on the pale lips.  
  
He straightened up and sat cautiously on the edge of the bed. He took one of the boy's hands and gazed lovingly at the sleeping form.  
  
"I love you too. Rukawa Kaede."  
  
* * *  
  
A bit of crushed Mica, the bluish stuff. a spoonful of Metahydrite,. mix until the mixture turns green.  
  
"It looks pukey."  
  
"Hisashi!"  
  
"Okay, okay, sorry." Mitsui held up his hands in surrender. "But it really looks pukey."  
  
Kogure gave him a stern look, oblivious to the fact that Hanagata was in the same laboratory, gazing at them with fascination. However, he decided to step in as Mitsui kept on teasing Kogure, he wanted to divert the exchanges in order to prevent bloodshed, as he saw from the corner of his eye that Kogure had clear access to a broken beer bottle. But what would he say? Aha. there it is!  
  
"Umm. Kogure-kun. Mitsui-kun.the mixture's turning red."  
  
The bespectacled guy yelped loud enough to waken the dead and dumped the whole thing into the sink - container and all. Hanagata cringed as the unmistakable sound of Pyrex beakers shattering to pieces pricked his unprepared ears.  
  
He shook his head in defeat.  
  
No use.  
  
Whatever did he do to deserve these headaches?  
  
Maybe it's just a severe case of bad karma.  
  
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  
  
TBC 


	5. Sidestory 1

Umm. Kae-CHAN?! (Side story 1)  
  
* * *  
  
Swish.  
  
Clink.  
  
Drip.  
  
Slurp.  
  
Chomp.  
  
Dribble.  
  
Pause.  
  
Swish.  
  
Clink.  
  
Drip.  
  
Slurp.  
  
Chomp.  
  
Dribble.  
  
Another momentary pause.  
  
All eyes were transfixed, probably from awe or disgust, on the feeding ritual that demanded full-unadulterated attention.  
  
Swish.  
  
Clink.  
  
Drip.  
  
Slurp.  
  
Chomp.  
  
Dribble.  
  
Pause.  
  
Grains of rice were stuck on the wooden tabletop as well as the equally wooden expressions on the faces of every person that had unfortunately chosen to sit beside the barbarian that initiated the ceremony.  
  
Swish.  
  
Clink.  
  
Drip.  
  
Slurp.  
  
Chomp.  
  
Dribble.  
  
Pause.  
  
Along with everyone else, Sendoh's eyes were fixed in fascination at the image plaguing him as his chopsticks hovered before his partially opened lips. He was not spared of being victimized by the notorious ritual before him, and minute splatters of soy sauce were visible on his clear forehead and a single grain of rice was stuck on the tip of his nose.  
  
He would have stayed transfixed if not for the almost inaudible sound, which resembled a whimper that rang out beside him. He immediately tore his eyes away and settled his line of vision on the boy cowering close to him.  
  
Rukawa was clutching his own pair of wooden chopsticks, staring with his eyes as round as the saucers that dotted the entire table. Sendoh knew that it was normal for someone so young to react as such when encountering such monstrosity, but in this case, he panicked. Rukawa was turning an icky shade of green. His face, considering the fact that he sat directly across the hungry redheaded monster, was not spared of the flying pieces of meat that were gaining momentum as the chopsticks shoveling them in a particularly huge mouth increased their pace.  
  
Swish.  
  
Clink.  
  
Drip.  
  
Slurp.  
  
Chomp.  
  
Dribble.  
  
Pause.  
  
"Uh, Sakuragi-kun?" Jin murmured falteringly, wincing a bit as the redhead momentarily stopped his feeding frenzy and glared at him with killer burning eyes. "Could you please stop."  
  
"What?" He growled as menacingly as he could with a mouthful of Ebi.  
  
"Uh. everybody's going to puke if you." Jin continued almost inaudibly.  
  
Sendoh sighed exasperatedly and immediately dropped his porcelain chopsticks on the matching porcelain dish holding his untouched dinner and glared at Sakuragi, earning him an equally disdained scowl from the redhead, and a few nervous looks from the people sitting quietly around the dinner table.  
  
"Baka, he said that you should stop acting like a damned ravenous barbarian! You're disgusting everyone! We can't eat! What the hell's wrong with you?"  
  
"Why do you care?" You're not the one affected by. damn! Just SOD OFF!"  
  
"I think Haruko-chan left him." Mitsui supplied, finally gaining a chance to take the first bite of his now-cold dinner.  
  
Everyone stared in shock at Mitsui, then at the outwardly dispirited look on Sakuragi's face.  
  
"Eh, is it true, Sakuragi-kun?" Fujima asked, definitely aghast.  
  
The redhead sighed and managed a small shaky smile. "Yeah, and it had to be Youhei of all people. I learned yesterday that they've been going at it for about a month before our first year anniversary." His smile then turned bitter. "Some girlfriend. some best friend." He set his bowl slowly on the smooth wooden surface of the dining table and sighed dejectedly. "Well, I guess that's it. no one's gonna love me until the day I die."  
  
Everyone fell silent. The only sound that can be heard was the huge gust of wind from a snowstorm that smacked against the windows. Everyone had their own thoughts on what had just happened. They couldn't even believe that Haruko and Youhei would do such horrible deed. they cheated on their mutual friend! How could they?  
  
"Demo. doesn't Do'ahou-niichan like Fuji-neechan?"  
  
Miyagi hooked his arms around Sakuragi's shoulder joints as the latter started towards the little boy who clutched at Sendoh's pale shirt. Rukawa's eyes, once wide with probable disgust, were now wide with fear as the murderous redhead tried to clobber him. This made him clutch even tighter at Sendoh's shirt, threatening to rip the piece he was holding on off.  
  
"Let me at him! Let me at him! I'm gonna eliminate that sly foxy-faced 'ahou! Let me at -"  
  
"You like Fuji-chan?" Hanagata's eyes widened.  
  
"You like my sister?" Fujima paled, his mind shifting to overdrive as he envisioned Sakuragi in a tuxedo, with his younger half-sister in a pure white wedding dress, holding each other's hands and staring at each other's eyes. He sweatdropped.  
  
Sakuragi immediately reddened as the familiar name registered in his mind.  
  
Busted!  
  
He plopped down quickly on his seat. "Yeah, I guess I do. Sorry Bench Warmer. I - ITAI!"  
  
Sakuragi clutched his head that was now sporting a steaming lump peeking through his tangled fiery hair. "What the hell was THAT for?"  
  
Fujima's nerves popped. His eyebrows twitched as his still-steaming fist connected with the taller boy's head again.  
  
"ITAI!"  
  
"How could you like my sister while you're having a blast with your GIRLFRIEND?"  
  
"Ex-girlfriend." Ayako reminded the vice-captain. "She's not his girlfriend now."  
  
Fujima's eyes flashed. "Yeah, she isn't NOW, but she WAS when he started noticing Fuji! How could he? He's cheating too. in a way! What is my sister to you, a diversion?" He grabbed a plate filled with grilled shrimps and was about to dump it on the younger boy's head when Hanagata stopped him before the plate tilted. He took the plate away from his lover and set it on the table, ignoring the glare that he received from him.  
  
"Okay, let's settle this right now." Hanagata rationalized, his eyes drifting into the terror-stricken features of Rukawa. "Kae-chan, you said Do'ahou-niichan likes Fuji-chan." That earned him a homicidal look from Sakuragi.  
  
Rukawa nodded imperceptively.  
  
"How did you know?"  
  
"He looks at her differently. as if he really cares for her." Rukawa seemed to relax as he stared at the kindly chocolate eyes. "Unlike the looks he gave Haruko-neechan."  
  
Hanagata smiled at the child's observant nature. "And how different was it? How can you compare the looks he gave Fuji and Haruko?"  
  
The little boy thought about it for a while and then nodded his head once, his eyes gleaming happily up at Sakuragi before turning towards Fujima who stood close to the one questioning him. "He looks at Fuji-neechan the same way that Kenji-niichan looks at you, Toru-niichan!"  
  
Fujima's eyes softened when he heard the words from the little boy. He glanced in amazement at Hanagata, and settled on the dumbfounded redhead. He sighed. "Well, I guess I could forgive you. heck, I've already forgiven you. you're the only one who would make Fuji-chan happy."  
  
Sakuragi's mouth opened and closed like a surprised goldfish. "I. I-I d- don't." he stammered, trying to make sense of what Fujima was telling him. "I."  
  
"You will make her happy won't you?" Fujima grinned easily, leaning closer to Hanagata as he did, lowering his eyes a bit as familiar arms circled his wait.  
  
Sakuragi nodded, still dazed. "I don't understand."  
  
Sendoh picked up a cherry from one of the desserts and promptly hurled it at him, hitting squarely at the middle of the forehead. "BAKA! What he meant was that he's okay with you and Fuji!"  
  
"I, I don't."  
  
"FUJI-NEECHAN!" Rukawa suddenly shrieked as he saw the slight figure of the shy girl walking slowly towards them.  
  
"Uh." Fuji looked around shyly, her gaze coming to land on Sakuragi. She flushed. "Someone. invited me. umm. if this is not a good time to."  
  
"Iya." Fujima grinned slyly as he looked back and forth at the two red- faced people in front of him. "Your timing's perfect. We're just having dinner!"  
  
"Uh, really, oniisan?"  
  
"Yeah." He winked at her, and then pushed her almost comically on an empty seat - right next to Sakuragi. "Just relax, no one's going to bite you."  
  
She flushed some more and immediately looked down, then up at the beaming face of Rukawa across the table. The little boy gave her a bright grin and she smiled back, shaking her head slightly in response, her face getting redder than before.  
  
"Uh. Fuji-san."  
  
Fuji looked up in mild surprise at the boy fidgeting beside her. Her eyes softened and she gave him a different smile. a smile of someone head-over- heels in love.  
  
Sakuragi stared at her in fascination, for the first time, seemingly tongue- tied. Koshino thought so too. "Never thought he would shut up in times like these. baka red-haired monkey. He's so du -"  
  
WHAP!  
  
"Ite." He hissed, glaring at his girlfriend, who miraculously produced a fan out of nowhere. "What was that for?"  
  
"You're ruining the moment!" Ayako hissed back, sticking her tongue out as Koshino rolled his eyes.  
  
"Wherever do you hide that fan of yours, Aya -"  
  
WHAP!  
  
"OW!"  
  
"Maki-san!"  
  
"Shinichi!"  
  
"Eep! I'm sorry, sempai. I just got carried away."  
  
Everyone was suddenly by the captain's side, trying to see if he was mortally impaired by Ayako's deadly paper fan.  
  
Maki rubbed his stinging temple and sighed in defeat. "It's okay, Ayako. I should've realized not to intrude when you and your guy are having a lover's squabble."  
  
Koshino glared at his captain. "No we're not, she slapped me because she said that I was ruining -"  
  
Sendoh shook his head in amusement, his eyes straying away from the warring trio, and back at Fuji and Sakuragi who were oblivious to the noise around them while they were snagged in a silent form of communication, each lingering gaze speaking volumes of how the other felt. He sighed. When would he have someone to do that with? Heaven knows he had waited for years! He shook his head dejectedly again, and applied himself to his food. He was about to take his first bite when he heard someone mutter something beside him.  
  
He immediately looked down and was wide-eyed with surprise as he saw Rukawa staring at the silent pair, his eyes all glassy and dreamy. "So. this is what love is."  
  
Sendoh couldn't believe his ears. He was almost sure that it was the grown- up Rukawa's voice words that he was hearing. He shook his head vigorously, as if to clear it, thinking that maybe he had damaged his brain after shaking it many times in a single day. He was imagining too many things! Damn it!  
  
"I'm glad." Rukawa whispered almost inaudibly, words that prompted response from the older boy.  
  
For him, everything snapped into place. Sendoh started to grin. Without much hesitation with regards to creating noise, he scooted back his chair and stood up, which made everyone - excluding the still-staring pair - wince in response, and quickly hefted Rukawa in his arms, cradling the young boy like the precious person that he was.  
  
"Akira-niichan. what -"  
  
Upon reaching the living room, he set the boy down on one of the plush chairs and tweaked his nose. The boy was staring at him so hard that he thought his eyes were going to pop out of their sockets.  
  
"Naughty boy!" He murmured as he rubbed his knuckled gently on the boy's hair, disheveling it beyond repair. "You invited her, didn't you?"  
  
Rukawa relaxed as he felt the warm skin of his niichan touching his hair.  
  
"Hai."  
  
"So sweet." Sendoh thought as he swiped the boy in a protective embrace, feeling the remnants of the flu that struck him still on the small forehead. /I wonder if you're like this when you're your own self. would you still be like this. or do your emotions drain away? / "You deserve a prize for being so helpful and observant!" Sendoh smiled as he felt the ripple of excitement run through the boy's body.  
  
"Honto ni?" Rukawa asked eagerly waiting for Sendoh to announce what his prize was.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
He tightened his hold on the boy, his cheek rubbing against the silky hair he loved so well.  
  
"We're going out tomorrow."  
  
And no one was happier than little Kae-chan at that moment. no one, except Sendoh Akira. 


	6. Sidestory 2A

Umm. Kae-CHAN?! (Side story 2A)  
  
* * *  
  
"Uh...Akira-niichan? Where are we going?"  
  
"Sendoh, this is not funny."  
  
"This place gives me the creeps! Let's get out of here!"  
  
"Don't worry, Aya-chan, I'll protect you from -"  
  
WHAP!  
  
"ITAI! Koshino! What was that for?"  
  
"Stop groping my girlfriend!"  
  
"I'm not groping -"  
  
WHAP! WHAP!  
  
"Itai, AYA!"  
  
"Aya-chan... don't you love me anymore?"  
  
"Stop it, the two of you! You are acting like little kids! - no offense, Kae-chan... If I hear one more word from both of you I -"  
  
"Uh, guys, we have a big problem -"  
  
"Uh, Ayako-san, you'll kill them if you continue doing that with your fan..."  
  
"I don't care! As long as they shut up!"  
  
"Oh, come on now, Aya-chan, you like the attention, admit it!"  
  
"Maki-sempai!"  
  
"Yeah, stop torturing those two already - they love you too much, after all..."  
  
"Right on, Soichiro! Hey, Min-kun, don't you think those violets look lovely?"  
  
"Hmp! I'm not speaking to you ever again Mitsui Hisashi!"  
  
"Umm... guys, would you please listen to me? I -"  
  
"What's up with those two, Sakuragi-kun?"  
  
"I don't know, Fuji-san, I don't know..."  
  
"Kogure-sempai got laid - at the most inappropriate of all times."  
  
THUD!  
  
"Uh, Fuji-san... *poke* *poke* are you alright?"  
  
"Stop poking my sister, dammit!"  
  
"Kenji -"  
  
"But I was just making sure that she's -"  
  
That did it for Sendoh Akira's normally unlimited amount of patience.  
  
"I think we're lost!" He yelled above the din of the cramped van.  
  
Silence.  
  
"What... do you mean we're lost?" Jin squeaked, his eyes taking on a panicky edge.  
  
"Akira... did I just hear what I thought I heard?" Mitsui asked, his features darkening. "Tell me you were just joking..."  
  
Sendoh, visibly sweating from the eerie atmosphere inside the van, stayed silent, unwilling to say anything that may cause his extinction from the blessed world.  
  
Silence still.  
  
He felt something shift behind him, however, before he turned his head to see what or who it was, he felt a blow on his gelled crown of spiked hair, hitting the skin on his skull with enough force for him to see stars. On a sudden burst of common sense, he immediately topped the engine and turned fully on his seat as a second blow was dealt.  
  
"OW!"  
  
Koshino stooped over him, a vein popping from his forehead, his teeth clenched so hard that it bordered on looking almost painful, and a fist shook readily, waiting for the chance to collide against his head. He sweatdropped, his hands moving on his head to protect it from the jarring blow.  
  
WHACK!  
  
"ITAI!" He was protecting his head, but still, the impact was so hard that it actually made him see stars. "Gomen! Onegai, don't hit me anymore..." He gave his best friend his cutest puppy-dog look.  
  
Koshino seemed to have softened a bit as he saw the helpless look Sendoh gave him. He sighed, defeated, as he muttered about certain idiotic hedgehogs plaguing his perfect life.  
  
"Akira-niichan..." Rukawa asked... his eyes wide and close to shedding tears. "Are we really lost?"  
  
Sendoh turned to the cowering figure sitting beside him. His eyes drooped as he saw the fear in the big blue orbs. He wanted to say yes, he wanted the child to know that they ARE indeed lost... but somehow, he did not have the guts to let the truth out. Instead, he gave him a huge grin and winked conspiratorially.  
  
"Iya, no we're not... I was just teasing them - they're easy to trick, aren't they?"  
  
He felt as if a huge load was taken off his shoulders as the fear was replaced by a glint that was purely amusement. Then, the rosy lips stretched in a fashion of a smile. Rukawa nodded, understanding Sendoh's words... although not knowing that what was given him were a bunch of words that compose a lie.  
  
With a brief nod, he started the engine and called out to Kogure for help.  
  
Sendoh decided, that with Kogure as a navigator, they would find their way out...  
  
He is a smart person, after all.  
  
* * *  
  
KOGURE:  
  
/Oh, man.../  
  
My forehead is leaking. I am sweating so hard that it seemed all the liquid pouring out from my pores would be enough for a ten-minute shower.  
  
/That's it.../  
  
I thought, forlorn. I quickly took out my handkerchief from my pocket and swabbed my face with it. He sneaked a glance at the current driver, and then at the child drooling beside me as he slept with his head on my lap.  
  
/How to tell them... how to tell them.../  
  
"Uh... Kogure-sempai?" Sendoh asked, his face filled with concern over my unease. "You look a little green. Is there something wrong?"  
  
"Uh, no, nothing's wrong." I answered quickly, waving my hands in front of my face. "No, nothing's wrong."  
  
/Geez... Who am I kidding? Of course, there's something wrong with me, cant you tell? /  
  
I wanted cry right then as Sendoh's lips curved in a small tired smile. I know he's already tired - he's been driving for half a day already... and that made everything much more complicated. There was so much trust in his eyes that it actually pained me to look at him for along time.  
  
I averted my eyes.  
  
/Kami-sama... anyone? Help! / I pleaded to all the Shinto Gods presently on duty. /What do I do? /  
  
"So, sempai... where to?"  
  
I gave the map a glare and looked up, surveying the fork on the road.  
  
"Turn right." I said with as much sureness as I could muster.  
  
Sendoh turned right.  
  
I wished to God that I chose the right direction - or we will all be in a lot of trouble.  
  
/I gave the right direction. I gave the right direction. I gave the right.../  
  
I was snapped back from my continuous mantra as Sendoh's strained comment reached my ears.  
  
"Is it just me, or the place is getting darker and darker... and what is that dark thing over there?"  
  
/I gave the right direction. /  
  
Did I not?  
  
* * *  
  
SENDOH:  
  
Aw, shit. A dead end.  
  
  
  
TBC  
  
A/N: I LIVE!!! Ehehe... sorry for making you wait too long... Studies first before anything else! ^_^ I'll post the next part probably half a week from now. Ja! ^_^ 


	7. Sidestory 2B

Umm... Kae-CHAN?! Side story 2B  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
"Kogure-san... can you ride shot-gun with me? You know maps better than I do..."  
  
"Sure, Sendoh-kun, just give me a moment..."  
  
Fujima nestled closer to Hanagata, trying to get as much body heat as possible amidst the cold atmosphere inside the van. It was well into the afternoon, and it was beginning to get colder, matching the sub-zero temperature outside. One can see the slight fall of sparkling snow through the thick film that was the window.  
  
/It would have been romantic.../ Fujima thought ruefully. /If only we aren't lost in the middle of nowhere. Who suggested this snow cabin affair anyway? Now what would happen to all of us if we would be stranded in this early fall of snow? /  
  
Hanagata's warm, comforting arms circled around his shoulders. "Kenji." He murmured, his eyes flashing with encouraging positivism. "Everything will turn out fine. Don't worry too much."  
  
Fujima's somewhat disturbed gaze focused on him. "I'm not worried Toru- chan... I'm terrified!" He whispered, his tone signifying the very evidence of fright. "What if we don't get to the Sendoh family's log cabin in this forest? What if -"  
  
He was immediately silenced by a warm finger on his freezing lips.  
  
"Everything would be fine, you'll see." Hanagata consoled him, tightening his hold on his lover's body. "Kogure-kun's a smart guy - not to mention an efficient map-reader. As I have said before... don't worry too much. Let's just trust those two." He smiled affectionately, rubbing his finger on Fujima's cold lips. Seeing the panic that was still in the other's eyes, he quickly leaned down and caught his lips in a gentle kiss.  
  
Hanagata was so sure that everything would turn out for the best. With Kogure's guidance, they would be safe. He would not admit to anyone that he too was a bit apprehensive about the outcome of their trip. He wouldn't. Now that Fujima was becoming restless, not to mention 'terrified', Hanagata did not have much choice but to be strong... otherwise, his only love would break down.  
  
He did not want to see him cry again.  
  
He knew of Fujima's traumatic past involving these types of places... snow, forests, log cabins... everything that would be involved in the trip. The former Shoyo captain only came because he, Hanagata Toru expressed excitement in joining the gang. He had always wanted to go up the mountains and sleep in a cabin during the time of snowfall.  
  
He was the reason that Fujima overcame his fright.  
  
He must repay that sacrifice.  
  
He will be strong.  
  
He broke the kiss as slowly as possible, tucking Fujima safely in his arms. He closed his eyes and tried to maintain his calm.  
  
However, his blood ran cold when his ears caught the sound of Sendoh's swearing.  
  
"Aw shit, a dead end."  
  
Suddenly, he had difficulty breathing.  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
Sendoh did not know what to do. He stopped the car once they drove over a dark area whose name they did not know. Out of frustration, he banged his forehead on the steering wheel thrice. On the third collision, he let his head lean on the rubber arc, his mind going blank.  
  
/Now what do I do? / He wondered tiredly.  
  
At that moment, he wanted to cry... and cry he did. He cried silently, the tears coursing down his pale cheeks. It was hopeless. They were trapped in that place. They will never have the chance of getting out.  
  
GREAT.  
  
They were going to die there, just like what happens in horror movies. They were going to be trapped, and one of them will turn into a man-eating maniac and -  
  
"This is all my fault."  
  
Sendoh looked up in surprise at the forlorn features of his senior. He could not believe that such words would come out of Kogure Kiminobu's mouth. Tears also marred the boyish features. The bottomless pools of brown eyes were also void of any kind of emotion - well, maybe not all emotion... the overpowering GUILT was still visible. It seemed as if he aged in a couple of minutes.  
  
"It's not your fault." Sendoh whispered. "It's mine."  
  
Kogure turned to him miserably. "I was the one who was supposed to get us out - I just dug us deeper into the forest instead. I'm sorry."  
  
"No, I'm the one who should be sorry." Sendoh sighed, shaking his head in defeat. "I came up with this idea to go to my family's log cabin. I was the one who initially read the map wrong. I was the one who got us lost in the first place." He shrugged. "I'm simply at fault."  
  
"Don't say that Smiley, it's our fault too... we did not bother to look at the map."  
  
Both Kogure and Sendoh turned and focused on the redhead behind them.  
  
Sakuragi smiled encouragingly. "We'll get out of here, you'll see." He raised a thumb in a sign of support and laughed in his own peculiar way. "NYAHAHAHAHA!"  
  
Both of them sweatdropped.  
  
"Yeah, he's right, you know." Koshino said quietly, cradling the head of his sleeping girlfriend. "Though why I'm agreeing with him escapes me."  
  
Sakuragi gave him a heated glare.  
  
"We should get help - back-up."  
  
"Captain!"  
  
"Old man, you're alive!"  
  
Sakuragi's quip earned him a blow on the head.  
  
"Itai! Will you stop hitting me already! Why do you always do that anyway?"  
  
"Lack of Kiyota to box." Jin interjected sleepily, obviously roused from deep sleep. "You have the same attitude."  
  
"Teme, Jin-jin..."  
  
WHAP!  
  
"Itai! Will you STOP that?" He glared at Maki's imposing form.  
  
"We must think rationally." Maki said in a businesslike manner. "We have enough belongings here to keep us warm for a week - provided that the snowfall doesn't get too violent. We have flashlights in here and a portable stove. We have everything we need."  
  
"Don't forget the extra gasoline." Miyagi said cheerfully. "Stacked them up myself for future emergencies. We have lots of them underneath all the baggage. Good thing my intuition's still working."  
  
"I brought extra batteries." Koshino said helpfully. They're for emergencies too.  
  
"Great." Maki smiled, a bit satisfied. "We'll have enough spares for a few days."  
  
"We have the stove... but what about the food?" Fujima asked sleepily.  
  
Everybody was silent. They brought snacks - lots of junk food, but no nourishing ones...  
  
"Oh, yeah, food... umm..."  
  
"Trail mix. I've got that."  
  
"Chips in my pack"  
  
"A couple of huge boxes of oatmeal cookies from Coach Itsuki."  
  
"Soda - lots of it."  
  
Silence.  
  
"So now, what do we do?" Mitsui asked quietly, toying with the loose end of his sweater.  
  
"I don't know." Sendoh whispered, training his gaze at the darkened hedge before them. "I don't know."  
  
* * *  
  
It took a half-hour drive for them to get out of the dark area and take on another route towards the cabin. Sendoh thought that they would have to stay in the glades for the night. It was scary - but what choice do they have? Luckily though, they chanced upon a wide clearing minutes before the sky darkened completely. The snow had stopped a long while ago, they learned, and the evening sun was made known by the time they saw through the thick canopy of conifers lining the woods.  
  
Sendoh quickly maneuvered and parked directly in the middle of the clearing, careful not to run over thorny bushes and the occasional snow rabbits hopping about. Placing the car keys in his pocket, he opened one of the compartments of the dashboard and handed a couple of spare sets of keys to Maki and Kogure for future purposes - like when his mind decided to play with him again and he forgets the keys on the keyhole of the starter.  
  
He got out of the car, careful to lock the driver side door and stretched.  
  
CRUNCH.  
  
Ow. The bone that crunched ached like hell, and he moved it, trying to re-adjust its former state. Fortunately, after a few minutes, it cracked back to place. He sighed in obvious relief, turning towards the place where the others decided to huddle in.  
  
Rukawa, he saw, was not with them.  
  
"Where's Kae-chan?" He asked, plopping down on the waterproof mat beside Maki.  
  
Kogure smiled at him. "He's still sleeping. I decided to place him inside."  
  
"Inside?"  
  
He arranged his glasses and smiled almost wistfully. "He's sleeping in Fujima's arms - and quite happy about it too."  
  
Sendoh felt a stab of jealousy strike through him. Fujima again. Honestly, Rukawa was warming up to that guy more than he's warming up with him! He thought of Hanagata's words before. /Maybe he was just making me feel guilty for neglecting Kaede for so long. / He was somehow doubting if the kid really missed him. Maybe he missed the junk food he stuffed himself with whenever they're together... maybe he just wanted to get back at him for being so ignorant of his presence for the whole week they did not meet up.  
  
He sighed, letting his frustrations out in a burst of cloudy puffs. He got up, deciding to check on how the boy was doing, all the time cursing the presence of the lovers currently cuddled inside - with HIS Kae-chan. He opened the sliding door of the van and immediately gasped in awe at the sight presented before him.  
  
Fujima was resting in Hanagata's warm arms, their heads close to each other that their lips were practically touching. One of Hanagata's hands was resting on his lover's arm, and the other was clasped protectively on Rukawa's leg. Rukawa was on cuddling in Fujima's warm embrace, the elder's arms wound around the tiny waist, a hand resting on Hanagata's firm hold on the child.  
  
They painted such an ethereal picture that he felt his heart melt. Rukawa's features were very much at peace then - such as the other two's expressions. It was beautiful.  
  
God, it was beautiful.  
  
Sendoh quietly closed the door. He hadn't the heart to wake them.  
  
He could not.  
  
He was not that selfish to take Rukawa away from his source of internal peace. He had not given him any reason to look like what he looked when he saw him. As far as he knew, he never gave him any kind of tranquility... even when he was still the stoic Rukawa Kaede... and somehow, it hurt.  
  
However, as he had known before, he was not selfish.  
  
He loved Rukawa too much to encase him in his chaotic world.  
  
Slowly, he made his way to his other friends who were trying to pull a bickering duo apart. In every step he took, he could help thinking that maybe he shouldn't feel any sort of love for the boy except a brotherly one... It would be better for him - and all the less painful if ever there would be no more cure for what had befallen Rukawa three weeks ago. It would be better that way if ever he would not turn back to his normal self.  
  
He felt a crystallized tear slip down a rosy cheek.  
  
Maybe he was not worthy of Rukawa Kaede at all.  
  
* * *  
  
The bonfire had died, and faint traces of smoke could still be seen coming from what was a huge roast session the night before.  
  
Rukawa, now lying comfortably on the front seat, woke up to the light of the early morning sun. He stretched out quietly, looking around to see where he was. His gaze landed on Hanagata and Fujima's sleeping forms on the third row of the van and smiled wistfully. Then, his eyes made their way to every person inside the warm vehicle, not stopping until they landed on Sendoh.  
  
His Akira-niichan was shivering even with the two blankets covering him, and it did not escape Rukawa's observant gaze. He quickly took off the two blankets protecting him from the cold and placed them on Sendoh's chattering body. Almost at once, the disturbing motion stopped.  
  
Satisfied, Rukawa nodded to himself; smiling happily at the small service, he gave his favorite oniichan. Quietly, he pulled open the catch that locked his side of the door and hopped out enthusiastically, stretching against the inviting rays of the morning sun.  
  
Suddenly, he saw a slight movement beside him. Without warning, a fluffy snow bunny hopped out, hurried scampering towards the bushes located at Rukawa's blind side. With enough gusto to rival a million kids, he jumped up in excitement and followed the rabbit, not noticing that the animal was leading him farther and farther from where the car was stationed.  
  
"Come here, kawaii usagi-chan!" He whispered, trying to locate the whereabouts of the fluffy creature in the semi-dark. "Come bunny rabbit! Where are you?"  
  
* * *  
  
"Where is he?"  
  
"I don't know!"  
  
Sendoh's eyes were wet with the tears pooling in them.  
  
/This cant be happening. / He thought miserably, his eyes scanning the clearing. /Kae-chan.../  
  
"Kae-chan... Where are you?"  
  
* * *  
  
A/N: Hi guys! I told ya I'll update didn't I? ^_~ Well, here it is! ^_^ Hope you like it! Reviews everyone! ^_^ 


	8. Sidestory 2C

* * * * * * * *  
  
Umm... Kae-CHAN?! (Side Story 2C)  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
Maki was close to pummeling Sendoh to death. In fact, he was considering doing it - only the thought that he might spend his whole life in prison for murder in front of witnesses gave him the control he needed not to do the messy deed.  
  
However, he could not deny the increasing degree of exasperation and violence that his persona was dealing the guy. First, he transformed Rukawa to an eight year-old boy, then he got them lost in this goddamned forest, and now, he lost the same boy that was his own creation - in such a short span of time!  
  
"Where is he?" He yelled, his teeth chattering from the mixture of the winter cold and intense anger.  
  
"I don't know!" Sendoh yelled back, his face pale and eyes close to insanity. He swore that Sendoh's eyes were wet with the tears pooling in them... or maybe the winter morning sunlight was playing tricks on him. He shook his head and growled with helplessness.  
  
/Now what? /  
  
He turned his back on Sendoh and started walking towards where others were scattered in attempts to find the lost boy.  
  
He looked up to the sky and sighed, his sight blurring as a wave of tears threatened to fall down.  
  
/Kaede... where are you? /  
  
* * *  
  
/This cant be happening. / He thought miserably, his eyes scanning the clearing. /Kae-chan.../  
  
"Kae-chan... Where are you?" He whispered almost inaudibly, his head bowing in misery.  
  
Then he saw them.  
  
Footprints.  
  
He scrutinized them, wondering who they're from. He was sure that the only ones who had been where he was standing were Maki and he. Maybe they had a stalker - or much worse, a thief was out here and spotted them. He was about to turn back and report it to his captain when he realized something important.  
  
The prints were too small to be his - and Maki's feet were quite large too...  
  
So, who could have... and what about those weird-looking prints? It was as if something plopped on the pillow of snow in perfect symmetry.  
  
Suddenly, a snow-white rabbit hopped in his line of vision, taking the same path that the mysterious prints had taken earlier. The bunny's prints matched the weird ones perfectly, so that means, a bunny was followed by someone with very small footprints...  
  
Kaede!  
  
Excitement shot through his tired veins, a light of hope shining through his grim countenance as he thought of the huge possibility. He took a deep calming breath and let a small smile penetrate his otherwise worried features.  
  
"Guys, look what I found!"  
  
* * *  
  
"Come here, kawaii usagi-chan!"  
  
Rukawa was still trying to locate his precious rabbit.  
  
"Come bunny rabbit! Where are you?"  
  
He could not deny that he was getting tired of searching for the lost bunny. He sighed, and straightened up, realizing suddenly that he was in an unfamiliar territory. It was slightly dark - done by the stifling canopies of the evergreens lining the area that seemed to be a pathway.  
  
He looked left and right, wondering where the van was.  
  
It was not anywhere within his line of sight.  
  
His eyes dilated further as weird sounds seemed to emanate from everywhere, making his visualize huge bears that did not even resemble his favorite teddy lying on his bed. He thought of ghosts and goblins laughing at him, and silvery eyes watching his every move...  
  
He was panicking.  
  
He started towards one direction, sloshing through the clumps of snow, faint sunlight guiding him towards where he believed the van was.  
  
Where were they?  
  
"Ken-niichan? Toru-niichan?" He called out, trying to locate them. "Do-ahou-niichan?"  
  
Where were they?  
  
Suddenly, he heard someone calling his name. For him, it sounded like the angry howl of the wind. /The spirits are mad at me! / He thought tearfully. /The spirits hate me because I chased their cute pet! / Soon, he was sobbing, obviously frightened of the prospect of being the human sacrifice in some ritual that the spirits probably actualize. He heard of it once from Soi-niichan... and he was so sure that he would be the sacrifice this time, not the poor goat that he talked of.  
  
In fear, he ran towards where the sunlight seemed to pour the most... the point where there was much light... /They won't get me when I'm under the light of the sun! / His young mind rationalized.  
  
He stumbled forward, the toe of his boot stubbed by something lying underneath the snow. He fell facedown onto the pure white fuzz, his hands colliding with a jagged edge of rock buried, unseen until when his hand disturbed its peaceful existence.  
  
The screams of his name were coming closer. He had to hide - he had to!  
  
He tried to stand up, but his legs failed him. They were already stiff from the cold.  
  
He sobbed, not caring if the spirits he was so frightened of heard him, and were coming for him. His fear won out and he was now pinned to where he lay sprawled helplessly. He was crying in earnest - the tears freezing as they trickled down his cheek.  
  
He was cold, lonely, afraid, and would soon be the sacrifice of a modern-day supernatural ritual... and yet... He was feeling so drowsy... Why was the world closing in on him? So tired... so cold...  
  
Where was his Akira-niichan?  
  
"Akira-niichan..." He whispered, his eyes closing as sleep seemed to take over his body. All he heard was a cry of something akin to jubilance and he surrendered to the void that crashed mercilessly over him.  
  
* * *  
  
"Akira - there he is!"  
  
Koshino's voice never seemed so beautiful before in his whole life. He immediately swung around and ran towards the place his best friend was pointing at.  
  
"Kae-chan!" He called out happily, his feet ignoring the bite of the cold fuzz encasing his frayed boots. "Kae - OH MY GOD... KAEDE!"  
  
He quickly bounded over to the boy sprawled facedown on the snow. Panicking, he turned the small bundle over and flicked the white mass from his pale face. "Oi, Kae-chan!" He murmured frantically, his hands slapping the sleeping face repeatedly. "Kae-chan? Oi, wake up!"  
  
The boy remained motionless that Sendoh actually thought that he was dead if he had not seen the delicate chest rise and fall in deep breaths.  
  
Still... there were some cases when the lungs give out in the extreme cold.  
  
The usually red lips were turning slowly into a shade of alarming blue.  
  
"Kosh - he's not waking up!" He called out to his best friend frantically.  
  
Koshino squatted close to the boy and felt the cold lips. "He's fine, let's get him to the van and place him in front of the heater, it would do him good - he's just cold."  
  
"But he's not waking up no matter how hard I slap him, he's -"  
  
"He's going to be fine." Koshino assured him, his eyes crinkling at the corners in slight amusement. "Just pull him close to you and wrap him in this blanket." He said, holding out his fluffy blanket, letting his best friend unfold it and warm Rukawa in it.  
  
He had never seen Sendoh's eyes holding so much gratitude.  
  
Then, blinding light pierced through his line of sight as he diverted his gaze from his best friend. His mouth gaped open in shock, a shaky finger pointing towards a well-lighted clearing.  
  
"Akira - look!"  
  
* * *  
  
"Oh my god." Sendoh muttered as his eyes scanned the clearing through the van's tinted windows for the second time.  
  
It was the way out.  
  
He huffed, his pride as a driver and navigator dwindling as he realized that it was Rukawa who had helped in leading them out - albeit unconsciously.  
  
He could not believe it even when he actually saw the familiar roadway that he realized was the one they drove through when they went up to the log cabin.  
  
What was worse was that everyone teased him about it.  
  
So he was bad when it comes to directions - at least he had a log cabin in the mountains... at least he had the sense to think of the footprints earlier as Rukawa's.  
  
Who was he kidding?  
  
No matter what he has, no matter what sense he had sometimes, the fact still remains.  
  
He was one lousy navigator.  
  
He sighed again and turned his attentions to the sleeping boy that was cuddling close to him. A blanket was wrapped around both of them, and they were sitting beside Hanagata and Fujima who were gazing at the sleeping boy with such tenderness that made his eyes water.  
  
He was apprehensive before he let Maki drive the van towards Hanagata and Fujima's flat. They were all miserable, Sendoh knew, and he also knew that he should be punished for that - but he suddenly thought of the near- fight he had with Maki when they realized that Rukawa was lost - and it wouldn't do his car any good to suffer dents due to his captain's deliberate carelessness. He sighed, shaking his head and twisting a bit at the sudden discomfort he felt.  
  
The slight movement woke Rukawa up. The boy rubbed his eyes and looked blearily at him, the blue orbs cloudy and unclear. He thought he was going to start crying. The boy was finally awake!  
  
"Kae-chan." He whispered, sliding a warm finger down the smooth cheek in a gesture of affection. "You're awake... are you alright?"  
  
"I'm alright... did you save me from the spirits, Akira-niichan?" The boy asked, shivering as unwanted thoughts came unbidden in his head.  
  
"Spirits?"  
  
Rukawa nodded, edging closer to him as his nervous, and now-focused eyes surveyed the whole of the silent van where most were nodding off to sleep.  
  
"Un. I heard them calling my name - and I ran so they wont get me... they got mad when I chased their pet."  
  
"Pet?"  
  
Rukawa nodded earnestly. "The kawaii usagi-chan that was the color of the fluffy clouds!"  
  
Sendoh smiled, tweaking the boy's pert nose. "Yes, I rescued you - along with Hiro-niichan."  
  
"You did?" Rukawa's big blue eyes widened in awe. "Sugoi!"  
  
Sendoh knew he would technically be lying, and his eyes sought Fujima's own glittering orbs, as well as Hanagata's own. He did not know why he did it, all he knew was that he trusted the two of them to know whether what he was panning to say was right - if that would be alright for the kid to digest.  
  
The approval and well, amusement, came in a form of a slight nod.  
  
With a sigh and his usual happy smile, Sendoh began narrating a fairy tale version of what had transpired hours before.  
  
Rukawa's awe and hundred-megawatt smiles were all that mattered.  
  
As long as the boy was pleased and contented, he too will be pleased and contented.  
  
Then he began.  
  
"There was a huge bear that followed us and warned us of ..."  
  
* * *  
  
"Whew, what a hectic and mind-numbing couple of days!" Mitsui sighed as he tumbled on the soft couch.  
  
Kogure glanced at him, his eyes conveying sadness and a hint of longing as he sat down on the other piece that made up the living room furniture. The furnace was raging, and it was warm, but the warmth was not even penetrating in his heart.  
  
Kogure sighed.  
  
He had never thought that Mitsui would give up on him when they were still in their trip. Well, it was his own fault that the shooting guard became exasperated with him. He was giving him a hard time, with all the ignored apologies and what was popularly known as The Rukawa Treatment.  
  
He averted his eyes and stood up, his feet shuffling without his consent towards the empty kitchen.  
  
He was near the swinging doors when he noticed that almost everyone except he and Mitsui was in their destined rooms. They were practically alone.  
  
He sighed as he continued towards the fridge. He opened it and got a carton of cold milk out. With silent precision, he got a Pyrex mug and filled it to the brim. He set it inside the microwave and pushed the buttons that would trigger the machine-generated heat to snake out.  
  
He stood there, miserable, waiting for the microwave's signal that his milk was ready.  
  
Suddenly, a warm pair of strong arms snaked around his waist. He nearly cried at the sensations it caused. The pain in his heart swelled, and then shattered, leaving him with a feeling of euphoria over the fact that the warm loving arms were Mitsui's.  
  
"Care to share the glass with me? I'm feeling a bit cold." His lover whispered tenderly, his lips nuzzling the delicate lobe of Kogure's ear. He turned him around so that they were facing each other.  
  
Tears began coursing down the gentle face, and a sob stemmed from the soft lips that parted to accommodate another pair.  
  
Lips pressed, their arms entwined around each other, their minds set on fulfilling the desire to just stay that way forever...  
  
And as the days' events rained down on them, as well as the discomfort of the aftermath of their verbal spar before the trip, they settled whatever it is that lingered...  
  
The microwave was beeping like crazy - but none of them heard it.  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
"Good night, Kae-chan."  
  
Sendoh laid his lips on Rukawa's warm forehead.  
  
"Arigatou again, Akira-niichan." Rukawa beamed, his blue eyes glazed with sleep. "For saving me and tucking me in here..."  
  
"You're welcome, now go to sleep." Sendoh smiled lovingly, stroking the boy's fine hair. "Oyasumi."  
  
"Oyasumi..."  
  
When assured that the boy was already asleep, he got up and turned out the night lamp, letting the blaze of the fireplace light up the pale boy's soft features.  
  
His smile broadened as Rukawa hugged his teddy tightly.  
  
Finally, after more than half an hour of staring, he let himself out of the warm room.  
  
* * *  
  
/Ah, another beautiful winter morning! / Hanagata thought as he entered his basement laboratory.  
  
"A bit of crushed Mica, the bluish stuff... a spoonful of Metahydrite... mix until the mixture turns green..."  
  
"It looks pukey."  
  
"Hisashi!"  
  
"Okay, okay, sorry..." Mitsui held up his hands in surrender. "But it really looks pukey."  
  
Kogure gave him a stern look, oblivious to the fact that Hanagata was in the same laboratory, gazing at them with fascination.  
  
However, even with his fascination, he decided to step in as Mitsui kept on teasing Kogure. He wanted to divert the exchanges in order to prevent bloodshed, as he saw from the corner of his eye that Kogure had clear access to a broken beer bottle. But what would he say?  
  
/Aha... there it is! /  
  
"Umm... Kogure-kun... Mitsui-kun... the mixture's turning red."  
  
The bespectacled guy yelped loud enough to waken the dead and dumped the whole thing into the sink - container and all. Hanagata cringed as the unmistakable sound of Pyrex beakers shattering to pieces pricked his unprepared ears.  
  
He shook his head in defeat.  
  
/No use. /  
  
Whatever did he do to deserve these headaches?  
  
/Maybe it's just a severe case of bad karma.../  
  
The three of them repeated the procedures again, waiting for the mixture to turn a nauseating shade of green to a colorless liquid that was supposed to be sticky.  
  
The first attempt looked like a beaker of tasty Bloody Mary... and that was the one thrown to the sink.  
  
The second attempt looked like a cat's version of a pukey shake.  
  
The third attempt looked like a glass of water - no stickiness to speak of.  
  
The fourth attempt looked like mud.  
  
The fifth attempt looked like a can of mashed sardines.  
  
The sixth attempt looked like... eww... crap.  
  
They were now at their seventh attempt, waiting as usual for the boiling mixture to turn to a sticky colorless substance...  
  
Waiting...  
  
Waiting...  
  
Wait -  
  
"EUREKA!"  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
TBC  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
A/N: Really sorry for the delay - I hope you didn't get too angry with me for not updating for two weeks... got a lot of homework to do... sorry about that... well, here's the last part of the second side story! I hope you liked it! ^___^ Reviews everyone! ^____^ 


	9. Part 5: END

Author: Simply Kim E-Mail: cheng1812@yahoo.com Title: Umm... Kae-CHAN?! Genre/ratings: (Yaoi / Shounen-ai) (Humor / (a bit of) Angst) Length: 5/5 (excluding side stories) Disclaimers: The series I'm referring to obviously do not belong to me, only the story does.  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
Part 5 (END):  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
"EUREKA!"  
  
The sudden cry echoed throughout the whole house, sending everyone scampering towards where it came from.  
  
"What the heck was that noise about?" Maki growled, holding a hand on his throbbing temple. He obviously wasn't a morning person.  
  
"What happened?" Jin asked, panting in the aftermath of his long run from the attic room. "I heard someone shouting something... eh? What happened to you? Why does it stink in here?" He immediately pinched his nose to avoid the stench to penetrate through.  
  
"Phew! What's that smell?" Sendoh grimaced, covering his nose as he stepped into the basement lab. Then, his eyes lighted on the potent-looking mixture in the beaker Kogure was holding out proudly.  
  
However, the words were literally stolen out of his mouth by the loud redhead who came in cursing the person who had thoughtlessly screamed and woken him up. He was mid-tirade and was about to be whacked by an irritated Ayako with her ever-existent paper fan when -  
  
"Megane-kun? What's THAT?" HE asked, peering at the product of extensive research. "Blech!" He yelped, pinching his nose as he caught a whiff of the mixture. "It smells crappy - and looks real funny!"  
  
"Uh, Kogure-sempai, what's that supposed to be?" Ayako asked blearily, blinking her eyes multiple times before actually focusing on the slimy green liquid.  
  
"It smells bad." Miyagi supplied, yawning the best he can without opening his mouth too wide. "And it looks pukey."  
  
Kogure glared at him and gave Mitsui who was sniggering behind him a look of death. "It's not even green!" he protested exasperatedly peering at the colorless liquid that sloshed as he moved the container repeatedly.  
  
"Sticky, icky-smelling, unidentified object floating on the surface - yep, definitely pukey." Miyagi nodded, a neon green clothes-clip pinching his nose shut.  
  
Hanagata was about to crack a helpless smile when he saw his colleague turning several shades of outraged red. /No good having Kiminobu- kun mad at us - he may just throw the whole thing in the sink if he gets mad - he's very unpredictable... /  
  
He took off his glasses and proceeded to wipe the lenses with his working lab gown for a few seconds before he slipped it on and looked at everyone straight in the eye. "We have finally perfected the experiment. We can test it on Kae-chan now... provided that you're all for it."  
  
Everyone gaped at him, their jaws hitting the marble floors.  
  
"EH?" came the chorus of disbelief.  
  
Mitsui smiled smugly, hoisting himself on one of the Formica counters, giving Kogure a proud glance. "Yep, the potion's ready - finally! Now we can have Rukawa Kaede back."  
  
Everyone was silent.  
  
They couldn't believe that their time with little Kae-chan would be over.  
  
"Well," Kogure faltered, noticing the looks of woe from his friends. "It doesn't have to be now, you know, we can always postpone doing it..."  
  
There was a long period of silence, that was only broken when Maki finally decided to speak up.  
  
"We're being selfish if we don't get Rukawa back to his old self - he'll be missing a lot... although we were happier with him being the precocious child, he'll be more benefited if he's the university student again." Maki declared, trying to sound stable even if tears were already forming in his eyes. He cast a downward look, hoping that the stinging sensation would go away.  
  
It didn't.  
  
The tiny rivers finally fell as a sob came from the fair Fujima, who was leaning heavily on Hanagata. His face was completely buried on the strong slightly tanned neck, and his arms were clinging passionately to his lover's sturdy shoulders.  
  
Koshino was comforting Ayako as she struggled to contain her tears, which, she was failing in, miserably. She was thinking of all the fun times she had when baking cookies with the little boy, or those times when the three of them, Hiroaki, little Kae-chan and she strolled along the park when they have nothing better to do... It felt almost painful to think that they would lose the little boy... and be replaced by someone with far more visible emotions than an unlit candle in the middle of an oaken table.  
  
For her it just wasn't fair.  
  
It was not like they do not want the old Rukawa to come back... it's just that they would miss the little boy terribly, since he had made enough impact on all their lives by just existing and being with them - more than the older version that they knew for over, more or less, five years.  
  
They were so deep in their grief that they missed the sound of shuffling footsteps...  
  
"Minna? Why are you all here?"  
  
* * *  
  
Sendoh stared hard at the sleepy boy standing before him. With one swoop, he hoisted him up in his arms, and in his embrace. "I will miss you so much." He murmured as he buried his lips in the soft raven hair.  
  
Rukawa was perplexed. "Miss me?" Then, in a bout of incomprehension, he pulled away gently. "You're leaving, Akira-niichan?"  
  
Sendoh gazed at the huge, confused, and watery azure eyes, memorizing every layer of emotion he could find there in case the boy would not remember anything when grown up again - at least, he had the knowledge, and the privilege of having seen the emotional side he doesn't often witness in the older version of Kae-chan.  
  
"Akira-niichan?" The boy was trying not to cry, as thoughts of his favorite oniisan leaving him again assaulted his senses. However, there was great relief as the former Ryonan ace shook his head in denial.  
  
"I will miss you because you'll be taking a vacation soon." Sendoh smiled through his impending tears. "To a faraway place."  
  
"I will?" Rukawa seemed thoughtful, and his azure eyes showed alarm. "Why?"  
  
He had not been expecting that question. What he had counted on was the question that pertained to WHERE he's going, however, he had to cope up with the WHY question... /Why? However could I manage to answer that? /  
  
It was Fujima's shaky voice that answered the boy's question.  
  
"Because your parents want you back home." Fujima's emotional blue eyes watered again as soon as he uttered the pack of lies. "We have to take you back to where you truly belong - to a world you normally live in..."  
  
"Mama? Papa?" Rukawa asked tearfully. "They're alive?"  
  
There was deafening silence as a discovery was made.  
  
Rukawa was an orphan!  
  
Hanagata was able to snap himself from his sympathetic stupor and immediately drew away from Fujima's vise-like grip. He closed the distance between him and Sendoh, who was holding the little boy in his arms. He placed both his hands on both the boy's shoulders and peered deep into the bottomless blue eyes.  
  
"Would you believe anything I tell you?"  
  
Rukawa did not even hesitate, and nodded.  
  
"You're a scientific mistake."  
  
* * *  
  
It took almost half an hour before Hanagata's tale sank into Rukawa's young mind.  
  
He told him the truth, trusting the boy to be strong enough to handle everything.  
  
"Then... then... I'll be b-back t-to..."  
  
Hanagata nodded, his eyes meeting the young boy's. "Yes."  
  
"I - I don't want to go back!" Rukawa protested, crying fully now, gripping the cloth of Sendoh's shirt as if his life depended on it. "I cannot live without all of you with me! Onegai, Toru-n-niichan! I don't want to go back!"  
  
Everyone was reduced to tears at the boy's emotional admission.  
  
"I c-can't hold all of you in my arms I-if I-I'm o-older!" He stammered, burying his face in the collar of Sendoh's pajama top.  
  
"But we must - you have a bright future ahead of you in the university." Jin reasoned out, his voice soft and a bit unsure.  
  
Rukawa shook his head frantically, looking up tearfully at Jin's helpless from leaning on one of the peeling walls. "No! I will not go back! Onegai!"  
  
In the corner of his eyes, Sendoh could see Maki signaling him to hold the little boy steady, while in his hand was a huge blanket to cover the boy with.  
  
As soon as the soft material of the blanket touched his skin, Rukawa knew fear. He struggled out of Sendoh's arms, screaming and kicking, trying to escape what was to happen.  
  
"Onegai! Iya, niichan! Iya!" He screamed in frustration, his tears raining out in huge torrents that drenched the blanket wrapped around him.  
  
Kogure closed his eyes momentarily, before he stepped forward with the solution, his hands were shaking, and his features contorted to a helpless grimace. A sudden entwining of tanned fingers on his made him steadier, his eyes singling out the pained blue eyes of Mitsui, trying to give him strength to do what he had to do.  
  
Liberally covered with the sticky mass, Rukawa's trashing ceased and his eyes were alarmingly blank. Then, a dull poofing sound echoed throughout the lab, and puffy white smoke issued from where Rukawa and Sendoh were standing.  
  
Then came the last despairing cry...  
  
"Oniichan... Onegai!"  
  
* * *  
  
It took awhile for the smoke to clear, and sure enough, the experiment proved successful.  
  
There was Rukawa Kaede in his teenage form, sleeping with his head buried on Sendoh's shoulder and only an oversized blanket covering his otherwise naked form. His arms were clasped around the ace's neck, and his legs folded elegantly, supported by a lean arm.  
  
There was complete silence as every person in the room contemplated on what to do next. They were all at a loss...  
  
They had terminated their precious Kae-chan.  
  
* * *  
  
ONE WEEK LATER:  
  
  
  
The city of Tokyo.  
  
The place where everybody seemed too busy to care.  
  
A world where everyone has a function. (Well, if you don't have a function, hell, then, just get out of there, they don't need you.)  
  
A peaceful *cough* city where everyone coexists um. perfectly.  
  
The city of Tokyo.  
  
  
  
"How dare you ignore me? Kitsune! I'm talking to you!"  
  
WHAP!  
  
"Do'ahou."  
  
WHAP!  
  
"One more crack like that from the two of you and I'm suspending both of you for the next game!"  
  
"But, old man, I'm not playing in the team!"  
  
Hanagata sighed, shaking his head in amusement as Maki threatened one of his best players and his vice-manager in the aftermath of the damage Ayako's paper fan had wreaked.  
  
His eyes strayed to Rukawa's apathetic form, and immediately noticed the tightness in the boy's shoulder muscles. It was as if he's tensed about something...  
  
The briefest thought that registered in his mind was that Rukawa had remembered everything that happened. However, he knew that it was impossible, since the boy practically forgot everything that happened after his shirt got drenched with black solution that was supposed to be Sendoh's work that had spilled on his pristine white shirt more than a month ago.  
  
He shook his head again and smirked at the direction of his absurd thoughts. He felt a nudge on his ribs and immediately looked down, his features brightening at the sight of his love.  
  
"Ken-chan." He murmured, leaning down for a kiss.  
  
Fujima closed his eyes momentarily and kissed his lover back, trying to drown himself in the sweet sensations the action caused within him. He was about to deepen the heated lip-lock when he heard a chorus of groans and a holler - which was obviously Mitsui's, which sounded something like "Get a room!"  
  
He immediately blushed, and reluctantly parted from his source of warmth.  
  
He quickly took a look around, his blush deepening even more as he saw everyone looking at him and Hanagata as if they were expecting them to maul each other soon. His eyes finally settled on the faraway features of Rukawa who was standing apart from everyone else. The boy gave him a small encouraging smile before turning his back to practice some more.  
  
Fujima had, unknown to himself, smiled back.  
  
* * *  
  
Mitsui and Kogure were walking towards the park when they spotted Rukawa walking towards his own place. Mitsui waved, his hands up and swishing wildly in the air. "Oi, Rukawa!"  
  
The raven-haired boy whipped around and stared at the two of them. To their surprise, Rukawa went up to them and greeted them respectfully with a small smile.  
  
"Ni - umm... Sempai, uh, what is it?"  
  
Mitsui finally got over his preliminary shock and whacked his junior at the back. "Wanna join us to the park?"  
  
"Yes, Rukawa-kun, will you? It's been quite a while since I saw the two of you play one on one." Kogure grinned enthusiastically.  
  
"Play basketball?"  
  
Mitsui nodded, and smiled happily as he saw the nod of assent Rukawa gave them. "Oh, and yeah, we'll not be the only ones there. Sakuragi and Fuji-chan, Ayako, Koshino, Miyagi, and Maki will be there too.  
  
Rukawa's eyes burned with their usual fire.  
  
He nodded again, this time, with much fervor than the last.  
  
* * *  
  
Rukawa was on the losing end of the game with Sakuragi and Jin his temporary teammates against the trio of Maki, Miyagi and Mitsui. It was as he expected, and the redheaded baka was interfering most of the time with his equally stupid antics. He sighed. But it was well worth it!  
  
He excused himself in the alibi of having to answer tons of homework.  
  
He had a fun day, but he felt empty though... where was Sendoh?  
  
Maybe Ayako-neechan and Koshino-niichan know where he is...  
  
* * *  
  
After the exciting game in the park's isolated basketball court, Ayako decided to shop and was soon burdened by the task of trying to hold on to her gym bag and her groceries at the same time, when a sudden pair of helping hands took them all from her.  
  
"Hiro-kun!" She exclaimed, gratefully pulling her boyfriend close and giving him a brief kiss. It seemed as if they've just met, but it was actually her fault, since she virtually forgot he's there when she went shopping. She was feeling a bit guilty. Heck, she'll just make up for it later...  
  
"I almost didn't recognize you back there. I thought I was seeing things - A gym bag and two grocery bags floating in midair. That's what you get for insisting to carry all of these by yourself. You and your misguided sense of feminism!" Koshino joked, earning a playful slap from his girlfriend. "Ow!"  
  
"Admit it, you knew it was I, and you love me so much that you couldn't resist helping me!" Ayako grinned with flourish.  
  
"Yeah, you wish!" Koshino laughed, dodging the paper fan that almost smacked him for a second time that day. Then, he noticed someone lounging by Ayako's apartment. "Hey, isn't that Rukawa-kun? I thought he's got homework?"  
  
Ayako peered into the darkness and recognized the former Shohoku ace. "Oi, Rukawa!" She waved, grinning.  
  
The boy immediately sauntered towards them and nodded his greeting, his eyes softening as they met Ayako's vivid ones, and turning amused at the sight of Koshino holding so much that he almost tripped as his sight was limited to what he could see up, not down. Rukawa quietly took the gym bag from him and wordlessly fell into step beside his seniors.  
  
The actions came as a major surprise, causing Koshino to almost lose his balance and Ayako to gaze at the youth fondly. "Rukawa-kun?"  
  
Rukawa looked at her inquisitively. "Hiroaki and I are going to make a batch of cookies for the guys tomorrow, would you be willing to help us?"  
  
The boy seemed thoughtful for a moment, and suddenly, his eyes lit up. "Chocolate chip?" He asked almost dispassionately, covering up his obvious excitement.  
  
Ayako and Koshino nodded.  
  
"Sure."  
  
* * *  
  
THE NEXT DAY...  
  
Sendoh was toweling off his sweat when he opened his eyes and saw a huge plastic of chocolate chip cookies shoved in front of him. His eyes followed the train of pale fingers, slender yet lean arms, sloping shoulders, swan-like neck, and almost feminine features... breathtaking azure eyes...  
  
"Rukawa-kun, what -" He stammered, a blush staining his cheeks.  
  
"Take it." Came the hurried reply. Nodding once, Sendoh took the package with a shaky hand.  
  
He swore he saw Rukawa's eyes mist briefly, as if he was going to cry... but the vision was gone. The younger boy turned back and started for the rest of the team enjoying the batch of cookies given to them by Ayako and Koshino.  
  
"Wait, Rukawa!"  
  
Rukawa paused.  
  
"What is this for?" Sendoh's eyes were glassy as they gazed at the object of his seemingly one-sided attention.  
  
It took a few seconds before Rukawa answered.  
  
"For everything."  
  
He immediately turned back and joined the others.  
  
Sendoh shook his head in bewilderment. He looked lovingly at the cookies and noted something he considered quite coincidental.  
  
The cookies were in the shape of little rabbits.  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
  
  
ALMOST A YEAR LATER...  
  
  
  
"Happy anniversary, Toru-chan..."  
  
Fujima and Hanagata lay cuddled under thick fluffy blankets. This time, they were celebrating in Hanagata's flat, a condominium that housed the elite students in their university. Fujima's flat and their joint apartment were momentarily vacated, since they wanted to spend their anniversary somewhere new - and private.  
  
"Happy anniversary too, Kenji-chan. I love you." Hanagata clasped Fujima closer, his heart beating fast in the process.  
  
"We've made it another year."  
  
"Yes we did."  
  
Fujima gazed at him lovingly and kissed him softly on the chin. "I miss Kae-chan though."  
  
Hanagata sighed as he remembered the dear little boy. "Yeah, me too. It was fun having him last year, wasn't it?"  
  
Fujima nodded sadly. Then, his eyes caught the mounds of presents given them by their friends for their special day. His features lit up with excitement. He immediately got up and practically skipped towards the mountain of boxes wrapped in colored paper and ribbons. "Ooh, presents! I wonder who gave these?" He picked up a huge shiny purple box and shook it forcefully, straining to hear if it sounded clunky.  
  
It was.  
  
"It is - it's ticking!" Fujima yelped as he threw the box on the carpet in fright.  
  
Hanagata laughed as he saw the look of fear in his love's eyes. He stood up and took the box, placing them on Fujima's lap as he sat down on the furry carpet next to him. "Come on, open it!"  
  
"It's a bomb!"  
  
"No it's not." Hanagata said firmly, giving Fujima a stern look. Finally, after much bargaining, he got his partner to open the gift.  
  
"See, it's not a bomb!"  
  
Fujima sighed with obvious relief as he unraveled the most beautiful clock he had ever seen. It was made of the purest crystal and silver adornments were shining under the light of the dim chandelier of the bedroom.  
  
Then, his eyes settled on another huge box covered with sheer blue paper and metallic sapphire ribbon. "What's this?" He asked almost to himself as he started undoing the ribbon carefully.  
  
What he found made tears fall from his eyes...  
  
FLASHBACK  
  
"Have you sorted them out yet, Kae-chan?"  
  
Fujima called out from the kitchen.  
  
"Hai, Kenji-niichan!" Rukawa called out as he hopped down the dining table carrying a bowl of assorted bite-sized sandwiches.  
  
"You did great Kae-chan!" Fujima gave him a sincere hundred-megawatt grin and ruffled his raven locks. "I'm so proud of you!"  
  
END FLASHBACK  
  
  
  
In it was a crystal platter of bite-sized sandwiches, sorted out neatly into straight rows.  
  
The box was labeled.  
  
And it came from Rukawa Kaede.  
  
  
  
* * *  
  
DURING HIS MAKE-UP CHEM CLASS...  
  
  
  
"Kaede-kun, stop playing around with that beaker or else you're going to tip that over." Hanagata warned the younger boy. "This is a part of the Chem. test that you missed last week, so. do your best. Ne?" He grinned. "Weird, but I remember myself administering the same test to Sendoh last year!"  
  
"Hai, Hanagata-sempai." Rukawa smiled softly, his eyes trying to gauge the strength of the Pyrex beaker he was holding. "Oops." He muttered as an aromatic liquid dripped on the linoleum floor. "Ah, I'll just wipe it off later." He decided as he moved to the other end of the laboratory table.  
  
"Hey Toru-chan!" Fujima suddenly called out as he entered the laboratory. "Almost time for practice! Is the Chem. absentee doing well?" Mischievous blue eyes turned to the other's concentrating form.  
  
Rukawa stopped pouring and raised a flask of greenish-blue liquid in shy salute. Fujima grinned, turning back to the bespectacled boy, playfully taking away the wire-rimmed glasses off the bridge of his nose.  
  
"Kenji-kun!" Hanagata protested, trying to claim back his precious eyepiece.  
  
Rukawa continued pouring, and was increasingly becoming alarmed as he saw the other flask turning a dark shade of red. Hmm. according to the book, this should be turning blue, not red. he must have done something wrong.  
  
"Rukawa-kun, have you seen my ball? We're one ball short and Maki's turning into a real pain in the ass screaming his brains off and cursing whoever it was who stole the goddamned ball! We need it for practice..." A male voice sounded behind him. Startled, he raised his eyes abruptly, and almost melted at the sight of the elder boy who was standing very close to him. He had finally admitted to himself that he liked the sometimes-annoying porcupine... well, more than he liked the others.  
  
"Oh, Sendoh. uh. you forgot... when you left the gym yesterday... umm... my duffel bag is... right there." He jabbed his thumb in the direction of the package counter where Kogure Kiminobu was sitting in, reading a thick hardbound book.  
  
The older man nodded and his eyes shifted to Rukawa's experiment, his eyes widening. "I recognize that solution... Hmm. It's already black and wait... Does it have to make bubbles? Hmm. Where have I seen that solution before..."  
  
By then, Rukawa was obviously transfixed, Sendoh's question barely registering in his mind. He turned dazedly and his eyes widened in panic as he saw his concoction turn bubbling black. In surprise, he caught hold of it and was about to dump the thing in the sink directly behind him when he slammed into another body, the impact not lost on him as he rebounded, his thighs hitting the edge of the long Formica table, rattling the paraphernalia sitting peacefully on it.  
  
"EEYAGH!" He heard the older boy yelp. In horror, Rukawa's eyes bulged. Sendoh's body was drenched with the black liquid, staining the slightly rumpled red polo shirt, the liquid dripping on the floor as soon as droplets formed at the edge of the fabric. Rukawa closed his eyes, gripping the now-empty flask he held in his hand, waiting for the blow that he knew anyone with a sane mind would deal him for destroying a favorite shirt.  
  
"Gomen... Gomen... Gomen!" He said repeatedly, waiting for a fist to connect with his jaw. There was none. All he heard was a dull poofing sound and then a slight tug on his jeans. He opened one eye.  
  
Sendoh was nowhere in sight.  
  
"Where is he?" Fujima cried out in alarm as he scrambled to where Rukawa was standing helplessly.  
  
"What happened?" Hanagata asked in panic, noting the cloudy smoke that dwelled above them. "Oh no. NOT AGAIN!"  
  
The slight tug was there again, and this time Rukawa complied, his eyes straying on the floor.  
  
"AKIRA-KUN!"  
  
  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
OWARI  
  
* * * * * * * *  
  
A/N: ^o^ Ehehe! The fic's finally finished! HA! Well, the ending's quite unexpected huh? Heh-heh... What can I say; I'm just too affected by the flu virus that latched on to me a week ago! Ehehe. Anyway, thanks for supporting this fic - and I'm really thankful to all you guys! Till next time! See ya! Oh, and hey, reviews everyone! ^____^  
  
PS: This is my early Christmas present for all of you! Hope you enjoy it! MERRY CHRISTMAS MINNA!  
  
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